Out of Crime
by Painter815
Summary: Kate is in federal custody after being rescued from the island. All of the other survivors coldly stared at her as she was led away in handcuffs. Except Sawyer.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Out of Crime

Rating: Probably won't go past PG-13

Pairing: Sawyer and Kate

Summary: Post-rescue—Kate is in custody. I'm not going to add anymore b/c I don't want to spoil the story!

Warnings: Nothing yet

Status of fic: WIP

Author's Notes/Disclaimer:

I do not own the characters in this story, nor do I own any rights to the television show "Lost". They were created by JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof and they belong to them, Touchstone, and ABC.

My chapters will be short at first until I lay a basis for the rest of the story to build on. The first few chapters will be more introductory than action. I'll try to update twice a week. As of this time I don't know how long this story will be. I'll just take it where it takes me.

P.S. This is my first fan fic so please be kind. I'm welcome to all suggestions and comments and even constructive criticism. Now on to the story!

Chapter One

Kate watched as the silver ribbon of concrete flow past the window cherishing every minute. She gazed longingly at cars filled with happy families on vacation and young couples taking a weekend trip. The beautiful landscape of trees and vegetation in the early morning light made her smile. In her heart she knew she would never see the outside world again once she was locked away in prison.

All the signs of civilization still felt foreign to Kate. She never realized the island had become so much of a home to her. The beach, the caves, the falls all were more comforting than the return of everything she knew before the crash.

On the island, Kate was able to rest, not having to constantly run from her haunting past. She was able to learn to trust people, something she never fully allowed herself to do before. Even though she was lost on the island, she ironically possessed the normal life she had never had.

Back in reality, after the rescue, Kate became more guarded than she had ever been. Even though she knew there was no escape, some part of her wouldn't allow herself to resign to her fate. The others had stared at her like a stranger when the officers led her out of quarantine in hand cuffs on the second day. Even Jack, Sun, and Locke and all the others she had trusted and thought of as friends looked upon her with no hint of recollection. All of them glared as she left, all except one.

Sawyer looked at her with pity, not a pity of being above her, but one of understanding from experience. He was the only person Kate was ever guarded with on the island, the one person she could never thoroughly trust. In a way, he was the same as she was and for some odd reason that made him dangerous in her eyes. But with that look, Kate was able to forget all of the perverted comments and annoying appearances of Sawyer on the island and be grateful for the familiarity he brought in that moment.

Kate broke her attention from the window because of the clinking of chains beside her. The person across from her in the vehicle was finally rousing from the journey-long sleep they had been taking. In Kate's eyes, this fateful trip had had no effect on the prisoner. He still acted as smug and arrogant as ever but nothing was able to change that. Now that he was fully awake, he drew Kate into focus.

"Good morning Freckles."

--Note: the next chapter will be from Sawyer's perspective.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Sawyer stretched his sleep-stiffen limbs, limited by the handcuffs and leg chains.

"Good morning Freckles," he said through a stifled yawn.

"Morning," Kate replied, not showing much enthusiasm for Sawyer's waking.

Kate watched Sawyer for a few more seconds before she returned to her post of gazing out of the bus window.

Sawyer kept his attention on Kate for a little longer. The Kate that sat in front of him could not possibly be the Kate he knew on the island. Kate from the island was strong and confident, a leader among them. Now she seemed frail and weak, with no fight left in her. Sawyer imagined that a gust of wind just might break her in two.

Most of Kate's misery, Sawyer knew, didn't stem from her capture, but the way the other survivors acted when she was led away. The shocked and disbelieving faces were crueler than his jokes and behaviors on the island. The emotion present on her face indicated how betrayed she felt. Sawyer couldn't help but sympathizing with her. She was an outsider again, with no one else in the world she could rely on. Just as Sawyer had always been.

After Kate's form disappeared through the double doors a bubbling rage started to boil in Sawyer. How could the others treat her like that? Hell, most of them knew she was a fugitive either from the mug shot they found on the marshal or Sawyer's own exposing of her fake IDs before he left on the raft. Why were they so bewildered by her arrest?

Fortunately for the other survivors, Sawyer didn't have the time to take out his anger on them. Not even an hour after Kate's departure, Sawyer was in custody also. He went willingly, not surprised one bit. The only surprise was when the first officers went after Kate instead of him.

That led Sawyer up to this point. Kate was being transported back to Iowa, while Sawyer was heading south to Louisiana both to face their crimes. Taking this long journey in this damn uncomfortable bus with only Kate, the guard and driver to keep him company. And what boring company they were! Sawyer thought inwardly.

Sawyer's attention then returned to Kate and the resignation that showed in her form. He would have never thought that Kate would give up her freedom so easily. He guessed her time on the island had changed her as much as it did him. Seeing her this way pained Sawyer terribly and it was then that he made up his mind what he had to do. There was no way around it. He had to get Kate out of here.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Even though Kate had relinquished herself to her destiny, thoughts of escape still flitted through her mind. She had evaded capture when she was with the farmer in Australia, hadn't she? She had so many close calls before. What was different this time that made her give up so easily?

If Kate could just find a way to talk to Sawyer out of earshot of the driver and guard, she might be able to convince him to help her with her plan. It would be two against two if Sawyer joined her, albeit one side in chains and the other with a gun. But if they both went after the guard, they might stand a chance of acquiring his firearm and then the ball would be in their court. Just maybe… What was she thinking? Like Sawyer would ever risk his own ass to help someone else. It was a crazy idea anyway.

These thoughts distressed Kate immensely. Even if she did manage to elude the law again, it would mean she would have to return to her life on the run. Before her time on the island, Kate never knew how strenuous her adventures had been. She was so tired of that lonely existence. All her instincts told her to run, but her soul was too weary to listen.

Kate desperately tried to turn her thoughts elsewhere. Sawyer had been quiet this morning. She guessed that it had been almost three hours without one of his wisecracks. That must be a record for him. But no sooner had this idea crossed her mind, Sawyer broke his silence.

"You know, I've been thinkin' Freckles, I've seen you in green and purple and white, but this is the first time I've seen you in fluorescent orange. I don't believe it's your color," Sawyer finished with a smirk on his face.

"Well, Sawyer I don't think it's your color either. But it's not like we have a choice in the matter," Kate snapped back with a faint hint of a smile.

"You don't have to bite my head off. I was just tryin' to make conversation because you look mighty lonely over there," Sawyer replied, somewhat offended.

"I'm sorry, Sawyer," Kate offered but it was of no use. He murmured something inaudible to Kate's ears with a scowl and went back to his melancholy disposition he had carried for much of the trip.

Kate truly was sorry for angering Sawyer like that. She hadn't meant to, it just the fact that he managed to speak up when she was wondering why he was so silent all of a sudden. She regretted missing the opportunity to have some playful banter with Sawyer. If he was of no use in any other way, Sawyer could always distract her from her own dark thoughts.

A while later, the guard trooped to the back of the bus to hand a couple of MREs to Sawyer and Kate for their dining pleasure. It wasn't much but after living on fruit and boar meat for so long, the simple foods still felt like a feast.

As the guard was taking their trash away, Sawyer asked, "Hey chief, do think I could get some paper to write my family a letter?"

Kate rolled her eyes, and threw Sawyer an incredulous look.

"What, you don't think I might have some cousins living' back home that might still care about me?" Sawyer whispered in reply. Kate only rolled her eyes again. She didn't know what Sawyer was up to, but she was pretty sure he wasn't writing a letter to his family.

Nonetheless, the guard returned with a legal pad and pen and handed them over to Sawyer. He uncapped the pen, and stared at the paper in thought. Kate couldn't help but wonder if this is what Sawyer looked like when he wrote the letter that he always carried in his pocket, the one that symbolized all the pain he still carried from his childhood.

Soon Sawyer started to scribble away at his letter, finishing with the quick tear of the paper from the pad. He then folded the letter and stowed it away in his pocket, and laid the yellow tablet and pen on the seat beside him.

Kate was tempted to pursue Sawyer for the addressee of his letter, but she knew from his countenance that he was in no mood for it. It would most likely be a waste of her time. Time? She laughed inwardly at herself. Didn't she have plenty of time now?

All four of the bus passengers sat silent until they pulled into a rest stop off the highway. As Kate rose from her seat, Sawyer offered her a hand saying, "Ladies first." Kate gave him a questioning look, but it wasn't from the sudden appearance of his manners but from the piece of paper she now found slipped into her palm. It was the letter he wrote not an hour before. Why was he giving it to her?

* * *

Upon returning to the bus, Kate was anxious to see what Sawyer had written to her. She sat down and quietly unfolded the yellow piece of paper to see Sawyer's handwriting scrawled on the straight red lines 

_Kate,_

_If you trust me, I think we can both get out of this mess. The way I see it, if we both go after the guard, one of is bound to be able to lay our hands on his gun. Then we would have the upper hand on those two scumbags. But we should wait until dusk so we can use the dark to cover our escape. I'll give you a signal—I'll start whistling You All Everybody (God knows it's forever stuck in my head thanks to that one-hit wonder)—then we can rush the front of the bus. If you are in tap your foot three times, if not only two._

_Sawyer_

Trust. Sawyer was asking for her trust…the only person she didn't trust on the island. Now her future might depend on him. Then suddenly the shock of the words on the paper hit her full in the face. Had she not been thinking of an identical plan earlier in the day? The similarities between her and Sawyer were all too evident in that moment. But with that in mind, she had to ask if she could trust herself. She didn't know if she could.

Slowly, Kate tapped her foot once, then twice. There wasn't anyway that she could go through with this absurd plan.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever sweetheart," Sawyer murmured. Why in the hell did he even try? On the island, Kate once told him that he should try a little harder. Well, when I do try Kate it always comes back to bite me in the ass. Was he seriously thinking of taking the risk of turning a few months in prison to a few years? For Kate? Like she would even trust him anyway.

But as he glanced at Kate, he felt the same conviction as he did before. Kate sat there blankly staring at something he wasn't able to see. Not many people would notice, but Sawyer saw the traces of her terrible past etched unalterably in her face. She wasn't like most other woman Sawyer knew: the lonely ones with rich husbands looking for a good time. The ones that thought suffering was receiving a five-karat diamond ring instead of eight as an anniversary present. No, Kate was different. She knew what suffering was and already had suffered too much in her young life. There wasn't anyway that Sawyer could let her suffer anymore.

As Sawyer thought of Kate, he was able to see so much of himself within her. The agonized childhood, the lonely existence, no one to count on. Their pasts were riddled with similarities that Sawyer fancied couldn't be coincidence. But there were differences between he and Kate: she didn't deserve her past. She was just one of those unfortunate people in life, who no matter how much they plan or how hard they endeavor to do things right, it never works out.

Sawyer knew he wasn't to blame for his parents' deaths. He knew he was just a kid caught in a screwed up relationship. But knowing that didn't stop the hurt or the pain or the anger. If anything it made it worse, reminding him of how helpless he had been and that there wasn't a thing that could have been done to prevent it. No, he didn't deserve that horror. The fury and the want of revenge did lead him to a life of crime, and there was where he deserved his past. No one forced him into that life. He could blame his parents all he wanted but he was still the one who decided what existence to lead.

He had to help Kate. If Sawyer had missed so many opportunities to help others, to reach out a hand, he knew he wasn't going to miss this one. He and Kate were of a kindred spirit. All she had to do was trust him and that might prove to be a tall order for her to fill.

* * *

Sawyer waited as Kate delicately opened the letter and began to read the hurried words scrawled across the page. Her body language told him nothing. He began to doubt whether she would go along with the plan or not. On second thought, he didn't have any semblance of a clue in the first place but his gut told him that she wouldn't pass up the opportunity to dodge a bullet once again. 

With baited breath, the southern con man waited for the ex-fugitive's answer. Kate drew in a deep breath and ran her hand through her hair turning her face to the outside world. The next few seconds passed with an agonizing slowness that made Sawyer want to shout for her reply. Then he heard it. One tap, then two. Sawyer let out a sharp sigh of disappointment. His mood was sourer than before. Then he heard it, a slow deliberate third tap from Kate. He raised his eyes to meet her's in disbelief. She met his stare and gave a curt nod. It was then an understanding passed between them, one that would change everything between them: Yes, Sawyer I trust you enough to do this.

* * *

While waiting for dusk to arrive Kate and Sawyer worked out the final kinks in their scheme as inconspicuously as possible. More than a few times, they each failed to catch the pen ending in a loud clatter which caused Sawyer to wince. Fortunately, the guard due to his groggy state failed to notice the noise. 

When all was said and done Sawyer glanced over the note-filled paper. He couldn't believe how many times Kate opposed his ideas and argued to do it the way she wanted.

_"Sawyer, we can't both rush the guard. That would be suicide. He would have his gun out before we could take three steps."_

"_Well, what do you propose we do then, because that's the only idea I've got Freckles."_

"_We have to get the guard to come back here."_

"_Alrighty then, I'll say that I'm done with the pen and paper and then we can both go after him."_

"_No, that won't work either. I have to call him back here."_

"_And why do you have to call him back here?"_

"_No offense Sawyer, but I think he'd more willing to come back and help me than you."_

"_And what do you want me to do or do I still have a role in all of this?"_

" _While he's helping me, you sneak up behind him and go for the gun."_

"_Why didn't you just tell me you had another plan to begin with, sweetheart?"_

_"Because that would have been to easy plus I have to let you think you have some control."_

At the last pass of the paper, Sawyer perceived a subtle grin from Kate and when he read her note he just shook his head. With any other woman, Sawyer would never dream of giving up control. But if Kate could trust him after everything he did, he sure as hell could sacrifice his pride and let her run the show.

* * *

The dusty blue sky slowly changed to shades of violets as the last of the day's light slipped below the horizon. Sawyer's heart was already racing from anticipation. He unsuccessfully fought the waves of nervousness crashing over him one after the other in sync with his frantic thoughts of what could go wrong. What happens if the driver calls on the radio before they could get the gun? What if the guard wasn't fool enough to come back? Damn, how would they even run in leg chains? But one thought trumped the rest completely. What if Kate gets hurt? But Sawyer had to quell his emotions because it was now or never. He began to casually whistle the first few bars of You All Everybody in a slow country tempo but before he even reached the chorus Kate was in action. 

"Guard, guard!" Kate shouted as dusk settled in around them. "Can you please come help me?"

The guard gave her a weary look but still came back to give her assistance.

Kate bit her lip and looked at the guard innocently showing him her cuffed hands. "I managed to get both my hands in this one cuff. I was bored. I didn't even realize what I was doing," she stammered, acting embarrassed.

Without a word, the guard reached for his keys and bent over to help Kate. At that instant, Sawyer attacked him from behind struggling for his gun. The stunned man threw his weight back against Sawyer sending them both colliding back into the seat with Sawyer's head cracking against the window.

But Sawyer had his hand on the weapon and was wedging slowly from its holster. The bus swerved and stopped abruptly as the driver slammed on the brakes to pull over. The last jerk of the bus was all Sawyer needed to finally free the gun.

"Don't you dare touch that radio, cabby," Sawyer yelled dangerously, aiming the gun at the driver's head.

"Stand up, hands in the air, and walk back here," ordered the southerner.

The driver pulled his hand away in shock and tentatively stood up, bewildered. He took slow, faltering steps, his fear showing in every movement. Sawyer kept both the gun and his complete attention on the driver daring him to run back to the radio. And the driver as well kept his observation fearfully on Sawyer until the last few footfalls of the journey. Sawyer turned to see what had distracted the driver, but before he knew what had happened the guard had him pinned to the seat and the struggle for the gun resumed.

This time Sawyer was at a disadvantage with the full weight of the guard bearing down upon him. Both of them grappled for the gun, neither able to proclaim it his. It took all of Sawyer's strength to push the guard back into the aisle at which point the driver was brought to his senses and hurried to help. Now it was two against one, and Sawyer wondered why Kate hadn't joined the fray.

All of the men were beginning to tire which ensured the conclusion of the fight would quickly come. Sawyer was beginning to find his handcuffs more irritating by the minute and the guard along with the driver were almost finished from pure physical exertion. With their last ounces of strength, all of the men made one final push for the gun. The driver almost had the weapon dislodged from Sawyer's hand and with the slippery sweat forming on Sawyer's body was enabling the driver to pull it from his grip. Sawyer fought viciously as the driver secured his hold on the gun at which point he triumphantly stopped grappling. Sawyer didn't and both men went sprawling down onto the floor quickly followed by a loud bang and Kate's shriek.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Kate smiled gratefully as the guard reached for the loop of keys hanging at his side and began to search for the one that belonged to her handcuffs. She guessed that Sawyer took the jingling of the metal as a cue to spring into action. She was momentarily confused by the stupidity of Sawyer's actions as he pounced on the guard but not for long.

The glint of the metal keys sliding under the bus seats caught Kate's attention and broke her from her astonishment. Instincts kicking in, Kate quickly scampered on the floor trying to reach for the keys but hindered by her restraints. As soon as she was near enough to make a desperate reach for the ring she did. The tips of her fingers brushed the closest edge of the metal to her. She almost had them, just a little bit farther. Kate went to push herself a few more inches along the floor. Suddenly, she was violently slammed into the hard legs of the seats above her watching the keys travel from her grasp, sliding toward the front of the bus. The vehicle's erratic movements continued as Kate futilely tried to move towards the key's ever-changing location.

Thankfully, the bus soon jerked to a sudden stop, ending Kate's pursuit of the moving target. Her fingers soon clasped the cool metal sending relief flowing through her body. Then she heard a gun being cocked behind her and she immediately tensed again.

"Don't you dare touch that radio, cabby," Sawyer's southern voice rang out.

Even though Sawyer held the weapon, Kate still feared his predicament. It was two against one. She doubted that Sawyer's strength could overcome the odds and his bonds didn't help either.

_Well, I might have been able to help you Sawyer if you hadn't been so idiotic, _she thought to herself. Why hadn't he waited until the guard had her cuffs off? Didn't it make sense to hold off his attack? She sighed inwardly; knowing that Sawyer didn't possess the logic that Kate had from her years on the run.

Unlocking her restraints was becoming as frustrating as Sawyer's lack of sense. Every key she tried didn't turn and the metal was chaffing her skin as she held her hands awkwardly to have access to the lock. One key, two keys, three, keys; knowing Kate's luck, the one that would work was certain to be the last one on the ring.

Behind her, Kate heard the frantic contest resume: the quick, uneven footsteps, the dull thuds as bodies fell to the floor, the groans of struggle. She held her breath as she tried the last key on the ring, letting it out slowly as she heard the subsequent click of the lock. Having the full range of motion back in her arms, Kate hurriedly started working on the leg chains, easily finding the right key. Just as she removed her bonds, she was startled by the loud crack of the gun. Time seemed to slow as she turned to see the gun pointed at her, the flash of the gun powder exploding, followed by the look of surprise on the men's faces.

Out of reaction, Kate pulled her arms around her head and face in hopes of protecting herself. She felt the bullet pass her arm, where a fraction of a second ago her head had been. The superheated air around the projectile burned a stripe of her skin stretching from her wrist to her elbow. Kate closed her eyes, breathing heavy, shuddering breaths.

"Kate! Kate!" Sawyer yelled agonizingly, the anxiety plainly in his voice.

"I'm okay," she responded, not so much as to Sawyer's shout, but to reassure herself that was the case. Grabbing the keys from the bus floor, she pushed herself upright into the seat, peaking back to make sure the situation was safe to stand upright.

Sawyer stood in the aisle, while the guard and driver were lying flat on their stomachs. Kate wasn't sure who had the weapon, but thankfully spotted Sawyer holding it down at his left side pointing it at the two hostages seconds later. The coast was clear and she stood up wincing slightly as she accidentally nudged her burnt arm against the seat.

As Kate locked eyes with Sawyer, she saw the look of anguish soften then change to questioning as she walked towards him.

"How in the hell did you manage to get your cuffs off, Ms. Houdini?" Sawyer demanded.

As an answer, Kate held up her hand up by her face, the keys hooked on her index finger, giving Sawyer a wry smile.

"Oh so that's where you've been while I was back here fightin' for my life. Going for keys? Well, at least now I know what's more important to you, don't I sweetheart?" Sawyer responded, trying to sound irritated and offended at the same time.

Kate shook her head, believing that Sawyer's question didn't merit a response, as she closed the distance between them. When she reached him, they exchanged the keys and the gun. Sawyer plopped down on the nearest seat and began to fiddle with the handcuff's lock.

"So, Freckles, since you're runnin' the show, what'da we do next?" Sawyer drawled.

Kate gave him I-can't-believe-you-just-asked-that look and said, "I'll tell you when you need to know. I don't imagine that it would be a good idea to discuss that in front of them."

"Goodness, I was just wonderin'," retorted Sawyer. "Even though you're in charge, I thought I would still be privy to the plan ….finally," he muttered as he slipped his restraints off.

"That took you long enough," Kate uttered exasperatedly. "Now go get my hand cuffs and leg chains that I left up in the front."

Sawyer threw her a piercing look, but complied without comment. Did he actually take an order from me without a smart remark? Kate thought in disbelief. How ironic was it that Sawyer had asked her for trust and now he was the one that had to trust her. For Kate, trusting Sawyer in a way meant being dependent on him. She had never been comfortable with dependency. Through her life the only person she was able to rely on was herself. More than anything, giving her trust made her vulnerable.

What was taking him so long? The distance was no more than thirty feet round-trip. She had heard Sawyer pick up the bonds many seconds before. Why wasn't he coming back? Breaking her attention from the driver and guard, she turned to see Sawyer staring out the windshield. She turned around a little more to see the object of his attention. Her heart stopped. A red pick-up truck had pulled over in front of the bus and a middle-aged man emerged and set forth toward the scene of Kate and Sawyer's precarious dilemma.

"We've got company."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"We've got company."

_This wasn't as easy as I thought it would be_, Sawyer thought to himself. His heart was pounding in his throat. He balled his hands into tight fists, the metal edges of the cuffs biting into the soft flesh of his palms. The mysterious man drew nearer with every second that Sawyer stood in dismay. As the man came around the back corner of his truck, Sawyer turned to face Kate.

"Well, it was worth a shot, Fre—" Sawyer's words were stopped abruptly by the guard as he shoved past Sawyer on his way to meet the man at the bus door.

As the guard passed, he muttered to Sawyer, "It's okay." Then he stuck his thumb over his shoulder pointing at the driver.

When Sawyer looked to the back of the bus, he was amazed to see Kate holding the gun to the driver's temple. At that moment, Sawyer had an epiphany: he didn't know what the hell he was doing while Kate was a professional in these kinds of situations. Sure, he had close calls before, but they were nothing compared to this. He was completely clueless. Kate, on the other hand, must have experienced similar plights before when she was on the run. Because of this, Sawyer was forced to resign any hope he retained that he still might have some control of their escape.

The driver opened the door and stepped down the to the second step of the staircase, still in full view of the others on the bus. Sawyer guessed that Kate had instructed him to do this since the driver looked tempted to run for it. The man from the truck was now a few feet from the bus entrance, when he slowed the tempo of his walk and waved his hand acknowledging the guard.

"Hey, is everything okay?" the man yelled in a thick Midwestern accent. "It's not everyday you see a Californian prison bus pulled over in the middle of nowhere."

The guard was slow to reply, nervousness temporarily taking control of his ability to speak. "Everything's fine, sir," he finally answered.

"Where'd you get that cut?"

The guard unconsciously raised his hand to the gash on his forehead. "We did have…an altercation, but everything is under control."

"Are you sure everything is alright?" the man asked again, apparently not entirely convinced by the guard's answers.

"Yes, everything is okay," the guard replied stiffly.

The man swept the length of the bus with a look. _Thank god for tinted windows_, Sawyer thought. Turning back to the guard, the man once again asked, "You're sure?"

Why couldn't the nosy son of a bitch leave already? Sawyer wondered to himself. 

"We were about ready to go when you pulled over."

Evidently, the guard's last remark finally persuaded the man that no trouble lurked inside the bus. So, with a short nod to the guard, the man quickly left just as he had came. Sawyer let out a deep sigh and his pulse rate fell considerably. He walked up behind the driver and slammed the door shut, ushering the guard back up the steps and down the aisle to where the driver and Kate stood.

"Turn around," Sawyer commanded as he started to put the handcuffs he still held on the guard.

"That sure was a great performance you gave," Sawyer said sarcastically. "Too bad it wasn't enough to keep you out of these," he finished as the final leg cuff clicked. Kate shot Sawyer a reproachful look. "What, Freckles, are you afraid of offended these people? We're the ones on control now, remember?"

Kate just shook her head as she placed the last handcuff around the driver's hand. She then began searching through his pockets searching for something unbeknownst to Sawyer. She lighted upon what she was hunting. She pulled the bus keys out of the driver's left pocket and tossed them to Sawyer.

"We need to be going," Kate said.

"So we're stealing the bus now too, sweetheart?"

"Well, would you rather walk?"

Sawyer sighed, letting Kate win yet another argument.

Sawyer led the hostages to the front while Kate followed behind with the gun. As Sawyer reached the driver's seat, his worst fears were confirmed; it was a standard. He learned to drive on an automatic after many disastrous bouts with the gears, ending with a torn up transmission. Determined not to let Kate find out, he quickly tried to remember those first few lessons.

Sawyer started the vehicle, shifting into first gear. Slowly he let off the clutch, and pushed down the gas. The bus started to move slowly just before the motor stalled.

"Damn it," Sawyer cursed under his breath. Kate gave him a startled look. Sawyer gave it another try resulting in stalling the motor again. The third and fourth attempts didn't yield anything better.

"You don't know how to drive a stick, do you?" Kate asked in wonder.

Sawyer only scowled as he tried once more to start the bus.

"You, growing up in the South, do not know how to drive a standard?" Kate asked again, this time with more amusement in her voice.

"Just because I grew up in the South doesn't mean I was a country boy. Don't ya think I would have known how to track that boar that kept terrorizing me if I was?" Sawyer said defensively.

"I can't believe it," Kate said this time laughing aloud.

"Well, if you think this is so funny Freckles, why don't you drive?" Sawyer asked, thoroughly annoyed with Kate's mirth at his situation.

"I think I'll have to take you up on that offer if we ever want to get out of here," Kate answered. And without another word, her and Sawyer exchanged seats and the bus smoothly rolled away into the darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

The night was clear and star-strewn. The full moon reflected softly over the fields stretching along the side of the road for as far as Kate could see. And that was all she could see; fields, the occasional tractor or abandoned farmhouse, every now and then a car passing in the opposite lane. Frustration was slowly eating away at Kate, bit by slow bit. It never took her this long to find what she was looking for. With every minute that passed, she felt she was tempting terrible unknown lurking in the darkness to come forward, to ruin everything once more.

A golden light near the horizon slowly began to grow as the bus moved forward. Kate watched, crossing her fingers that it might suit her purposes. She was quite relieved to find out that it did. The light gradually defined itself as a twenty-four hour truck stop; the perfect place for her and Sawyer to get what they needed.

For her and Sawyer to get what they needed? When had she unconsciously decided that they would go on the run together? Wouldn't it be safer if they separated? Even though she hated to admit it, a small part of her didn't want Sawyer to go his own way. It would be nice to have some company for a change, even if his wasn't the most desirable at all times. She didn't much care what was safe anymore either. What could be more reckless than stealing a prison bus? That wasn't likely to go unnoticed by authorities for too long. Once they didn't arrive in Iowa on time, the hunt would begin. That gave them around six hours before they had to disappear. There it was again, _them._

The bus proceeded past the gas station and Kate immediately began another search again. She combed the sides of the road for any small unused turnoffs she could find. Luckily, this time she spotted a small overgrown dirt road not a hundred yards from the truck stop. The weeds of the abandoned field grew nearly six feet high and the road dipped down from the main highway. All of these factors didn't entirely hide the bus, but it did provide adequate coverage.

Kate methodically started to turn the vehicle onto the dirt path. The path was not even close to accommodating the wide girth. The deeply rooted ruts provided surprising jolts and jars, throwing the passengers this way and that accordingly.

A particularly violent jerk sent Sawyer's head slamming into the bus window for the second time that day.

"What the hell do you think you're doin' anyway, Freckles?" Sawyer exclaimed, rubbing the new knot forming at the base of his skull. "Don't ya think we should have just pulled in at the gas station back there? I'm pretty sure they have better parking spaces then this overgrown place."

"Don't ya think they have security cameras, too," Kate retorted, mimicking Sawyer's southern drawl.

"Little miss smart aleck now, aren't we?" Sawyer said as he stood up and stretched.

Kate shook her head as she grabbed her bag from under the front seat. Thankfully, they had both been allowed to keep a couple of civilian outfits for their court appearances. Kate quickly grabbed the first pieces of clothing that she laid hands to. All of her attire was professional and she was worried that it would draw unnecessary attention, but then again entering the gas station in bright orange might be just a bit too conspicuous.

"Turn around," Kate told Sawyer.

"For what?" Sawyer asked in his normal lazy tones that Kate recognized as those he used when he likely wasn't going to do what you wanted him to.

"I need to change and you do too."

Amazingly, Sawyer slowly stood up and faced the back of the bus. Kate realized that Sawyer really was letting her take control. He would have never complied so easily with her demands on the island. Even if he did, he rarely gave up the opportunity to send some warped remark her way.

Kate was about ready to start changing when she noticed that the guard and driver were still facing her. She froze immediately and gave both of them menacing stares. Sawyer must have heard her hesitation.

"And what do ya think you two are doing?" Sawyer said, directing his threatening comment toward the two men.

Both hostages acted completely in unison, turning around just as Sawyer had moments ago. Kate proceeded to swap her prison garments for those of her own. She was appreciative of Sawyer's concern but was quite certain that she felt his gaze on her back more a few times.

"So, sweetheart, what are we going to do with these two?" Sawyer questioned as Kate was stuffing the jumpsuit into her bag.

"Well, we can't take them with us, so we leave them here."

"Isn't that a bit risky, 'cause as soon as they're found, they'll blab everything they know."

"There's no other choice, Sawyer. We'll just have to make it difficult for them to be found."

As Kate said this she walked back to the driver, unlocked a leg cuff, and securing the chain safely around the seat leg. She then tossed the keys to Sawyer who followed suit, anchoring the guard.

"Are you sure you have it?" Kate asked Sawyer for the third time as they made their way to the gas station.

"We need scissors, ball caps, and anything else I think we need like food," Sawyer answered lethargically.

Kate nodded her head satisfied with his answers.

"If you don't mind me askin' Freckles, why do we need the scissors?"

"You'll see," Kate told him was a mischievous smile. Then she added, "I'll wait around back of the store."

They neared the entrance and Sawyer walked toward the door while Kate headed to the darkened parking lot. She commenced peering into car windows and tugging on door handles. There weren't many vehicles in the lot, but she was pretty sure she would find a car that had carelessly been left unlocked. She walked over to an old, beat-up Pontiac Grand-Prix askew in its parking place. As she glanced in the window she saw that the keys had been left in the passenger seat and beer cans were strewn on the dashboard. _Well, at least he won't miss it,_ she thought. Quickly, she hopped into the driver's seat and released the emergency brake, letting the car silently roll back, guiding it toward the far side of the gas station.

Sawyer hastily made his way to the stolen vehicle not many moments later with plastic bags. It was then a thought struck Kate, _Where in the world had he gotten the money to pay for the stuff?_ She couldn't help but voice the thought aloud.

"You didn't think that I left those assholes back there with their wallets, did ya?" Sawyer replied in typical fashion. Kate wasn't even sure why she even had to ask anymore.

"And I figured out why you wanted the scissors and it ain't goin' happen," Sawyer said emphatically.

"What's that Sawyer?"

"You think you're goin' to make me cut my hair. I'm tellin' ya now, it's not happenin'." Kate let out a sigh, knowing that this was going to be a fight.

"Are you really that attached to your hair, Sawyer," Kate teased in hopes of coaxing him to see how silly this battle was.

"Yes I am. I got used to it on the island and I'm not willin' to give it up," he replied stubbornly.

"So you'd rather have your hair than your freedom?" Kate asked incredulously.

Sawyer sat there in silence, as inflexible as he was before.

"If you don't cut your hair, Sawyer, you're not traveling with me. I don't want to risk being caught on account of your fondness for your hair," she said seriously, knowing that he would take it as an ultimatum.

"Well, maybe I'll just have to leave then, Freckles."

"Fine," Kate said, knowing from his huffy mood that his threats held no seriousness.

She started to pull off to the side of the road, unlocking the doors in the process.

"This is your stop then, Sawyer."

Sawyer stared at her, not believing that she would leave him on the side of the road.

"Time's ticking Sawyer, if you're going, get out," Kate said gravely.

"All right, Freckles, you win again! Just go now," Sawyer said, defeated once again.

Kate pulled back onto the road smiling triumphantly.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

_How in the hell did she get me to promise to cut my hair? _Sawyer thought. _She threatened to leave me behind, that's how._

Sawyer could say, however many times he wanted, that he was attached to his hair. But the truth was he was more attached to Kate. Hair would grow back, would it not? If he left Kate now, he would likely never see her again. His heart couldn't fathom the idea of that. So, he agreed to part ways with his locks instead.

Sawyer turned his attention to Kate in the driver's seat, watching her as mile after mile of concrete passed beneath them. Though the situation they were in should be terrifying and nerve racking, she drove with a calm confidence that manifested itself from the control she had over the situation and over Sawyer. Everything they did was done her way: the escape plan, stopping at the gas station, stealing the car, _cutting his hair_. He wondered if there was anything he wouldn't do for her.

_She's even gotta be the one drivin'_ Sawyer thought with a sense of amazement. Admittedly, she was going to let him drive the bus, it turned out that he couldn't drive the bus. But the car was an automatic, and driving should be a man's job, in Sawyer's eyes at least.

"So what are you trying to do Sawyer? Communicate with me telepathically? Because I'm not getting the message," Kate asked, after Sawyer's stare had become uncomfortably long.

"Not in the least bit, Freckles," Sawyer said, breaking his gaze with a little laugh. "Don't believe in that stuff. Nah, I was just sittin' here thinkin' how tired you look. When's the last time you actually slept anyway?"

"Sawyer, if you want to drive you should just come out and say it."

"But it's got to be your idea. Otherwise, there's no chance in hell it's goin' to happen."

"And what's that suppose to mean?"

"I'm just sayin', that you're the one in control and we've done everything the way you wanted. I'm surprised you didn't steal a standard so I _couldn't_ drive."

"That's it," Kate replied angrily, violently pulling the car on to the side of the road, sending gravel flying through the night. "Get out."

"What! You're leaving me standin' on the road in the middle of the night, Freckles? When all of the FBI is going to be lookin' for me? Even after I promised to cut my hair?" Sawyer ranted, disbelief flooding throughout his body.

"Get out," Kate repeated. "You're driving. And that's exactly why I don't allow you to make more decisions concerning our circumstance."

"And what's that, sweetheart?"

"You overreact," Kate stated simply.

"What! I don't overreact. Why in the world would you think that? Did I overreact when you told me I had to cut my hair?" The words tumbled out too quickly for Sawyer to catch them. He regretted it too.

"What did you just say?" Kate grinned in open-mouthed wonder, knowing that he had just proven her point.

"Nothin'," Sawyer muttered as he opened the car door to get out.

"That's what I thought," Kate said as she, too, climbed out of the car and scooted into the back seat, brushing the empty beer cans and trash onto the car floor.

"So I was right," Sawyer said triumphantly in response to Kate climbing into the back "You are tired."

"Not exactly Sawyer," Kate sighed. "I just want to stretch out for a while."

"Yeah, whatever. You'll be asleep in ten minutes."

Kate let out another sigh. _Did he always have to be such great company?_ she thought sarcastically to herself.

"Keep a lookout for anywhere we can stay tonight," she told Sawyer tiredly, a few minutes after they were back on the road.

"Will do, Freckles."

"No motels though….too risky," she said through a stifled yawn.

Sawyer nodded, though he doubted she saw as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The car rolled slowly as it approached the old abandoned farmhouse. The windows were broken and boarded up, the once pristine white paint now was a dull gray, peeling off graciously on all sides of the house. The dwelling was located far from the main highway and partially hidden by a tall grove of oak trees. A barn also accompanied the residence not a hundred yards from the house. Sawyer thought that it would be a great place to hide the car and he was quite satisfied with the location overall. 

He left Kate sleeping in the car as he went to seek a way to open the barn door. He found that the entry was barred with chain and lock. Frustrated, he started around to the other side to see if it was locked as well. He stopped halfway through his walk at the side of the building.

"Well, ain't that just great," he spoke aloud to himself. He stood in front of a large, gaping gap that was large enough to drive the car through. "Guess there's no need for a door."

Sawyer headed back toward the house to give it a closer inspection. Since the windows were planked up he figured that the door would be locked just as the barn door had. But surprisingly as he pulled on the handle, it swung easily open.

He stepped inside the foyer that led onto the living room. In the darkness, he could dimly make out the outline of what appeared to be a sheet covered couch along with other various pieces of furniture. He continued to stumble through the rest of the house, discovering an adjoining bedroom with two covered beds, a kitchen with dishes still sitting in the cupboard and a wash room with a mirror covered in a thick layer of dust.

As much as the house showed its dilapidation on the outside, the interior was in fair condition. The floors were solid, as were the walls. No draft entered through the wooded windows. In Sawyer's eyes it was the perfect place to stay.

He trudged back out to the car, intending to wake Kate up. But once he opened the car door, he couldn't bring himself to wake her up from her peaceful sleep. Her haunting past had disappeared from her expression and all the pain ceased to exist. He recognized that deep sleep such as this would probably come few and far between in the next months. So he gently lifted her into his arms and carried her into the house laying her lightly upon one of the beds.

* * *

Kate awoke the next morning, a sliver of light falling onto her face. She felt the bed beneath her and inwardly cursed Sawyer for going to a motel. She knew she shouldn't have let herself fall asleep. 

She slowly set up, bringing the rest of her surroundings into focus but before she could inspect her new environment too much, her attention was brought to Sawyer.

"Mornin' sunshine," he drawled from a chair near the foot of her bed.

"Sawyer, I thought I told you no motels," she chastised drowsily.

"Well, now, look around Freckles because if this is a motel, it's one of the crappiest I've ever stayed in. And that's saying somethin'."

Kate now noticed the boarded windows, the layers of dust and general musty smell of the place.

Sawyer watched as she took in every part of the room, memorizing every detail. For a split second, he thought he saw a look of recognition in her expression but quickly assumed it was because she had stayed in places like this before. Then she slipped off the bed, stretching her lithe limbs back into movement, grabbing her bag heading towards the bedroom door.

"You're not going to ask for the grand tour of the place, sweetheart?" Sawyer called after her playfully.

"No, I think I can find my way around, but thanks for the offer," her voice echoed back to him.

Sawyer grabbed his own bag, pulling out the copy of Watership Down that he still had from the island along with his makeshift reading glasses as well. The pages were crinkled from where the book had been waterlogged when he first found it in the tide and the cover was tattered where he had carried it for so long. The book itself wasn't of any importance. He kept it because it had brought memories of his first kiss with Kate in a roundabout way. Boone assumed he had Shannon's inhalers because he had the book even though he didn't. And of course that led to the kiss.

Even the glasses reminded him of Kate. She was the one who dragged him to Jack when he was having those awful headaches. It was one of the first times that he realized that she cared about him. No matter how god-awful they looked, he couldn't bear to part with the glasses either.

After reading for quite awhile, Sawyer started to worry about Kate. He put down the book and strained to listen for any sound of her within in the house. He didn't hear a thing and that made him feel uneasy. Just as he got up to search for her, she appeared quietly appeared, framed by the door.

She stood there waiting for him to react. In a way, she hoped that he would like it. She had never done anything like this before and wasn't too sure of it herself.

"Well Freckles, you might've had an easier time last night convincing me to cut my hair if you told me you were cutting yours," Sawyer said in a neutral voice, not indicating whether he liked it or not.

Kate had cut her hair into a short bob, reminiscent of the roaring twenties. _The hair fits perfectly with this old house_, Sawyer thought to himself. He admitted that it quite flattering and framed her face perfectly. He stood in front of her taking in her new appearance when the tranquility of the moment was broken by the sound of shattering glass in the kitchen.

Both Sawyer and Kate tensed immediately, turning the expectancy of the moment to that of fear. Neither moved, listening for any sign of movement within the house.

"Didn't you check to see if anyone was actually in the house before you decided to stay here?" Kate whispered frantically to Sawyer.

"No, didn't think I needed to. The entire thing is boarded up," he whispered back defensively. At that point, he remembered how easily the front door had opened.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Slowly and quietly as he could, Sawyer made his way to kitchen, instinctively grasping the gun he procured earlier from the guard. Kate followed closely behind echoing his steps. Neither one breathed, each too nervous to remember.

Again, Kate mentally kicked herself for falling asleep last night. How could Sawyer not make sure that the abandoned house was actually abandoned? From appearances, that would seem to be the case but that didn't necessarily mean that no one else had chanced upon this abode to use as a hiding place as well. But Kate didn't allow herself to become too perturbed with Sawyer's mistake. He didn't know any better. This was probably only one of few areas of life that he had little experience with. And being angry would be pointless as nothing could change their situation now.

Both Sawyer and Kate had now reached the doorway, each taking opposite positions along the wall. They silently listened to see if they could detect any additional signs of life from within the room. But they were only rewarded with silence in return.

Sawyer motioned Kate to open the door while covered her from behind. Anxiously, Kate clasped the rust-spotted knob beginning to turn it gradually. The hinged squeaked ominously as the heavy door swung open easily with a light push. Kate peered around the frame before she entered. Seeing nothing, she advanced carefully to investigate further, disappearing from Sawyer's view.

He waited apprehensively with baited breath for a reaction from Kate. His mind frantically urged him to follow her through the door but his body was too rigid with fear to move. Seconds passed that felt like minutes. The muteness from within the kitchen continued endlessly. Never had Sawyer experienced the amount of dread that washed over him.

"It's okay Sawyer. You can come in," Kate's voice drifted back full of relief.

Taking a deep breath, Sawyer entered the kitchen to find Kate standing at the counter gently petting a brown tabby cat with the remnants of the broken glass strewn around the two. The cat was lovingly purring leaning into each stroke of Kate's hand. By the looks of it, the cat hadn't eaten for awhile and its coarse fur indicated a life outdoors. Kate smiled as Sawyer entered the room.

"He must have broken the glass looking for food. The poor thing," Kate said empathetically as she scratched the cat's ears.

"And he can find food back outside," Sawyer told Kate with a scowl.

"You're not being serious? It's just a cat, Sawyer."

"Yeah, well, I'm more of a dog person myself. And what if someone notices their cat's missin' and comes lookin' for it. What'd we do then?"

"I can't believe you think letting the cat stay here is risky. After you didn't check the house to make sure it was empty?" Kate replied, amused with Sawyer's sudden sense of cautiousness.

Kate stood with her hands on her hips looking at Sawyer, knowing that he would have to give in. The whole notion that someone would find them because of the cat was silliness. And Sawyer knew it too.

"Okay, the cat can stay," he said, throwing his hands in the air with exasperation.

Kate grinned in triumph, reaching to the cupboards and taking out a saucer. Amazingly, water poured into the sink as she tried the faucet. The tabby appreciatively lapped the water quickly almost knocking the saucer out of Kate's hand in transit to the counter.

Leaning back against the small, round kitchen table with her arms crossed Kate watched the cat in thought. Her position reminded Sawyer strongly of the times she would stand on the beach, staring at the ocean but not seeing it, letting herself travel to another world. Abruptly, the memory was broken as Sawyer noticed a mischievous look slowly spread across Kate's face.

Not turning toward Sawyer, Kate said, "I think we should name him. What about Charlie?" Something about the cat's dark stripes reminded Kate of the shirt the rocker had always worn.

For a moment Sawyer didn't respond. He studied Kate closely, gauging if she was being serious or just trying to have some fun at his expense.

"Don't think so, honey," he said, trying to find an indifferent tone just in case she was being earnest.

"Okay then. Hmm…How about we name him…Sayid?" Kate said, fully enjoying torturing Sawyer now.

"Nope. Don't think that would work either."

"Well, let's see. There's Michael, Jin, Walt. Oh and don't forget Ethan! Which one of those do you like?"

Sawyer was now at the breaking point. He could handle a little entertainment on his behalf but Kate was closing fast on his limits. He wouldn't be truly angry but he sure as hell could allow himself to pout a bit.

"Sweetheart, if you really want to name the stupid thing, why don't ya be serious?"

"Alright," Kate said in a beaten voice.

Kate's expression became solemn once more as she buried herself deep in thought, naming off names silently in her head. After a few seconds of contemplation she turned her face to Sawyer

"I've got it. It's the perfect name."

"Well, are you going to tell me or are you going to keep that a secret too?"

"Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Jack."

Sawyer stared at Kate in silent disbelief. How long was she going to play this game?

"Nuh uh, Freckles. That's crossin' the line," Sawyer said, his frustration flooding into every word.

The smile that Kate had been suppressing finally escaped, letting Sawyer know that she was kidding.

"That isn't funny!" he said, acting hurt.

"I thought it was," Kate informed Sawyer playfully, as she walked passed him, leaving the kitchen.

* * *

"Stop moving! Do you want to lose an ear!" Kate yelled at Sawyer for the fiftieth time. On the island, Kate had always sympathized when she saw Claire try to cut Charlie's hair as he was trying to play the guitar. But now she truly understood how hard the job was. Of course Sawyer wasn't playing the guitar, but petting the cat wasn't too different. 

Sawyer sat in a wooden-backed chair in the middle of the living room as Kate stood behind him attempting to cut his hair. The bright afternoon light shone through the only window that wasn't boarded up in the house, hitting the few golden locks that Sawyer had left. The tabby cat was curled in Sawyer's lap sweetly sleeping, happy to have company again. Sawyer absentmindedly continued to stroke the soft fur while he fidgeted causing Kate to go mad.

"I thought you said you weren't a cat person," Kate said conversationally, hoping to divert Sawyer's nervous energy away from his constant squirming.

"I never said that."

"Yes you did," Kate said, mystified by Sawyer's denial.

"No, I didn't," Sawyer said firmly. "I said that I was a dog person. Cats don't usually take a likin' to me."

"Seems this one has. Which gives us all the more reason to name him Jack." Kate couldn't resist taunting Sawyer further. It was just too tempting.

"Like hell the Doc took a liking to me. Maybe to you, but definitely not to me!"

"Goodness, I'm just kidding."

"You've been doin' a lot of that lately."

"It's not like there's not much else to do……All finished," Kate said, pulling off the sheet with one deft sweep.

Sawyer walked over to the dusty mirror setting cattycorner next to the open window. He reached up and wiped just enough grime off to view his own reflection. A stranger would have never guessed that his hair used to be blonde. Kate had cut his hair close to the roots giving his color a darker tone. As Sawyer was studying his portrait, Kate slowly walked up behind him, appearing just over his shoulder in the mirror. Seeing both of them together after their altered appearances, Sawyer felt that they could walk out into the middle of the field during the Superbowl and not be recognized.

"Well, Freckles, I think I have to admit that cutting our hair was a good thing. Nobody would know us now."

Kate just gave Sawyer a small smile before saying in a regretful manner, "We should go ahead and pack the car."

"What? Shouldn't we stay here until they start looking somewhere else for us?"

"We need to leave," Kate said persistently.

"I've let you have control so far but I have to put my foot down on this one. It has to be safer for us to lay low here for a few days."

"I can't stay here, Sawyer," Kate said pleadingly, a sorrowful look coming over her face.

"And why not?" Sawyer asked, completely confused at this point.

"I just can't." Tears were starting to gather on her eyelashes, threatening to spill onto her cheeks.

"Now Kate, you're going to have to better than that," Sawyer said in a softer voice, his heart aching to see Kate on the verge of crying.

"I…This place. It reminds me too much of where I grew up." Kate let the tears flow. She tried to hide her face from Sawyer by adverting her gaze to the floor.

"I guess a lot of places were built like this in the sixties, but it brings back too many memories….I just can't," Kate said trying to explain further but failing miserably.

But there wasn't any need to continue. Sawyer pulled her close to him, wrapping his strong arms around her small frame. It was something that always had drawn her to Sawyer; he didn't need to know everything to understand her perfectly. Letting her defenses down, she allowed herself to lean into his shoulder. As she did so, emotions that she had been suppressing for so long began to ebb out overwhelmingly. Slowly, the small trickle of tears turned into breath-stealing sobs. Sawyer continued to hold her close. Eventually, his presence began to calm her, drying the wetness on her face. Even after the burden of everything passed, Kate didn't pull away from Sawyer's grasp but continued to find a quiet peace within her soul that she had always been without.


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry for the long wait between updates! I had pneumonia last week and have just now felt up to writing again. Thanks for continuing to read! 

* * *

** Chapter Ten**

Sawyer held Kate. Her sobs had stopped long ago but the two still stood in each other's embrace. The light from the window illuminated the pair, spotlighting the importance of the moment. Something had happened when Sawyer pulled Kate close and there wasn't any way to change it. For the first time, they had let the other know they cared.

In time, Kate pulled back from Sawyer but didn't leave his hold. She raised her eyes to meet his. The tear stains on her cheeks were the only evidence left of her sudden vulnerability. Now she was standing in front of Sawyer with quiet solemn.

"You're right. We would be safer if we stay here for a few days," Kate admitted, barely above a whisper. "I'll be okay."

"You're sure? Because we can find somewhere else to stay. All you have to do is say the word. We can leave—"

"I'll be okay," Kate repeated in the same soft voice.

Sawyer studied her intently, making sure that she spoke the truth. Then he nodded and pulled her close again before letting go completely.

Kate hadn't wanted him to leave but her momentary vulnerability made her unwilling to show emotions any further. So she told him she needed to be alone even though her heart still wanted to be in his embrace. Now she sat in silence with nothing but her frantic worries to keep her company.

It scared Kate that Sawyer was so concerned about her comfort that he was willing to risk being caught. Somewhere inside herself, she had always known that he cared deeply about her. But before she had always been able to deny it, pretending to blame her intuitions. Now there wasn't anyway to avoid it.

Kate was terrified because she felt the same way towards Sawyer. And those feelings were more dangerous than anything that had happened up to this point. They would grow until they blinded her sense of judgement. Care for Sawyer would add an abstract element to her logical and practical world. They might even lead either of them to desperate actions if they were caught. Although Kate's mind told her to push him away, her heart was screaming opposite. And for once in her life Kate was more prone to listen to her heart.

But Kate worried about allowing Sawyer too close to her. She never let anyone in the walls she had built around herself, afraid that they would be appalled by what they learned. She feared who she truly was and what she had done would disgust Sawyer if she let him in.

The fear was only momentary. He would understand. They both had dark pasts and probably futures. He knew where she was coming from when other people were unable to comprehend. And knowing that, Kate decided that she wouldn't push Sawyer away or keep her feelings completely hidden anymore.

* * *

Sawyer sat alone at the kitchen table eating a sandwich from the gas station. He figured that Kate needed her space for a little bit. She was no longer in complete control. Not because Sawyer had taken it, but the memories the house brought and the emotion they shared earlier distracted her focus. Hell, he was distracted too. 

He didn't know what possessed him to reach out for her, to take her in his arms. Well, he did know but he wasn't willing to admit it. He knew he had feelings for Kate. That wasn't the part that he wasn't able to acknowledge. Before now, Sawyer had always acted indifferent to people's problems. He rarely showed compassion even if he felt it. But Kate wasn't just any person. Something about her got to him, made him unable to control his actions. He didn't know what to do.

Absentmindedly, Sawyer tore off little bits of meat from his sandwich and fed them to the cat who graciously inhaled them. _The damn won't stop following me around_ he thought.

Sawyer had finished the sandwich with the help of the tabby and sat in solitude thinking. After many minutes, he stood up from the table and walked toward the living room intending to find Kate. She said she needed time alone but Sawyer knew that wasn't always the best thing.

When Sawyer entered the hallway from the kitchen he expected to be able see Kate still sitting where he had left her. But he didn't. He moved forward, turning the corner, to see the chair she had been in moved under the attic entrance. _Of course she would have to explore the house further! _he thought exasperatedly to himself.

"Freckles!" Sawyer called out, seeking a response to check that his assumption was right.

He waited but nothing except silence echoed from the attic. Sawyer covered the rest of the distance between he and the chair with slight annoyance in his step. Kate had to be up there. Where else would she be? He peered through the opened entrance searching for movement but he only saw stillness.

Sighing deeply, Sawyer began to climb on the chair. As he looked down toward the floor to find his footing, a large soft-sided luggage bag came hurtling toward him. The tote struck his head sending Sawyer crashing backwards to the floor.

"Damn, woman! Are you tryin' to murder me!"

"Sorry," Kate said as Sawyer looked up to see her face peek over the edge of the hole. Kate was attempting to suppress a smile unsuccessfully. She sure didn't look sorry he thought. Slowly, Sawyer sat up rubbing the back of his head. Who knew something so soft could hurt so much.

"Whoever lived here before must have been in a rush when they left. There is a ton of stuff up here. Everything from bags of clothes to spare car parts," Kate informed Sawyer as she threw down two more bags of clothes. One came dangerously close to hitting Sawyer again.

"Hey, watch it! I think one bag beatin' is enough for today."

Kate swung gracefully down from the attic landing lightly on her feet.

"What, are the bags to tough for you to handle? And I thought you were making a big deal out of the boar harassing you on the island. Who knew the real danger was lurking in all that luggage."

Kate was apparently enjoying this quite thoroughly. So much that it made Sawyer think she might have dropped the bag on his head on purpose. He sure wouldn't put it past her.

"Yeah, well, the boar didn't fly through the air and drop on my head when I wasn't lookin' either," Sawyer said with his usual scowl that was common when Kate teased him.

Smiling back, Kate began to rifle through the bags that were filled with clothes. They weren't that bad. They were actually better than Kate had hoped to find. The clothes were maybe only seven or eight years old and most of the garments were basic pieces that wouldn't seem too out-of-date. Incredibly, the sizes were almost perfect for Kate too.

"Whatcha doing sweetheart?" came Sawyer's voice.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I thought it might be nice to have more than a prison jumpsuit and court clothes to travel in. That bag over there looks like it might have some stuff that would fit you," Kate finished indicating the same suitcase that had hit Sawyer moments ago.

Sawyer reached for the bag, still sitting in the place he had fallen. Undoing the zipper, an awful smell wafted toward him.

"Jeez! These things smell to high heaven. How do you expect us to wear them?"

"I guess we'll have to take a trip to the laundry mat. Although we should wait a few days, until the search around here quiets down," Kate admitted.

She hadn't noticed it before. The clothes did have an odd musty smell to them. But it wasn't nearly as bad as Sawyer made it out to be.

"But we do need to buy more food before then. I think we can chance a short trip to the store tonight. Hopefully no one will recognize us."

Sawyer nodded in agreement and the two of them continued to sort through the clothes. Every once in a while, one would hold up a piece to show the other, commenting on its gaudiness or the outrageous print while the other laughed. If anyone had chanced upon Kate and Sawyer at that moment, they would have never guessed that they were two hardened criminals on the run. It would have appeared that the happiness of the couple indicated a blooming relationship. And maybe Kate and Sawyer were what they seemed to be.

* * *

"Paper or plastic?" the cashier asked in a habitual tone. She was a young girl in her late teens and her name was Jessica if her tag was to be believed. Even though it was near midnight, she seemed to be full of energy. 

"Either will be fine," Kate said. Anything would do, so long as they left here soon.

They had left the house at ten o'clock. It took them a full forty-five minutes to find the store they were now at. The place wasn't very big and was likely owned by a local. There wasn't much variety but it had to do. And it was probably safer here than to walk into a chain grocery store plastered with security cameras.

"So, what're y'all doin' out here in the middle of nowhere? It's not everyday we get folks like you around," the cashier said in a perfect country girl accent, noting their professional attire. Both of them were unable to wear the clothes from the attic for very long before the smell got to them.

"We're just passin' through," Sawyer said flatly.

Feeling that Sawyer's vagueness would be suspicious, Kate added, "We're headed back to Chicago. We had a business trip in Denver."

"Well you guys sure know how to use the back roads. I can't believe you wouldn't just take the highway or fly," the girl said as she started to bag the groceries.

"It's refreshing to get away from traffic. We have to deal with it enough in back home," Kate continued, thanking Sawyer silently for not chiming in.

"Can't say that's a problem I've ever had."

"Be thankful," Sawyer said.

Jessica finished bagging the last of the items and turned to the register to ring up their total.

"It'll be twenty-three dollars and forty-two cents."

Sawyer pulled out the money as Kate started to gather the bags. As he fumbled with the money, the cashier continued her small talk.

"You know, you guys look familiar."

The words caused both to immediately stop what they were doing as they watched the girl, hoping she wouldn't remember.

After a few seconds passed that felt like a millennium she said, "Oh I remember now! You two look like a couple of actors in the Great Gatsby play a saw awhile back. But that obviously wasn't you."

Kate and Sawyer let out a synchronized sigh. That was too close for comfort. Jessica's statement had frightened both of them greatly.

* * *

"Do you think we're alright?" Kate asked once they were finally back on the road. 

"Yeah I think we're okay. The girl didn't seemed alarmed and she would have been if she truly recognized us."

"But what if she sees that we've escaped on the news and then conveniently remembers us?" Kate said, her worry ringing in her voice.

"I don't think that's a problem," Sawyer said assuredly.

"Why not?" Kate had no idea how he was so confident.

"Since when do teenagers watch the news?"

Kate let out a small chuckle. Maybe it was a good thing that Sawyer was here. Her logic would have never led to that reassurance.

"You've got a point there," she said as they continued on their return trip through the dark, cloudy night.


	11. Chapter 11

Lullaby87: I think you'll like this chapter! ;)

Sawyer: I like them acting like a 'misplaced couple' too. Though I think if they become too coupley they won't be Sawyer and Kate anymore

Merry2BLost: Thanks for the compliments! They made me smile. :)

* * *

Chapter Eleven

"Sawyer, if it didn't work the first ten times, it's not going to work the fiftieth either."

"Well Freckles, it's pretty damn dark in here. And what can I say, I'm an optimist," Sawyer said, but left his station at the light switch anyway.

"I think I saw some candles up in the attic earlier. If you would just help me—"

"What do we need candles for tonight anyhow? I don't know about you, but I'm ready to hit the sack. Besides, how are going to see to find the things? Just wait until morning, it'll be safer."

With that, Kate saw, or rather heard Sawyer walk back toward the bedroom. She shook her head to herself. Sometimes he could be thoroughly frustrating. He was the one who had complained about how dark as they first entered the door. She was only trying to alleviate his problem with the candle idea. And where did he get off being concerned about her safety? It was fine that he cared, but she certainly wasn't a person who wanted a mother hen following her around.

Kate let out a sigh and realized how tired she was also. She must have slept to noon that afternoon but the events of the last two days were exhausting. Blindly, she started following Sawyer's path back to the bedroom.

She could dimly see the outline of Sawyer laying on one of the beds when she walked through the door. It seemed that he was feigning slumber, since Kate knew that there wasn't anyway that he that he could have fallen asleep that quickly but she still tip-toed to the other bed and crawled under the sheet.

Kate apparently wasn't as drained as she had thought or she was too distracted wondering about everything that had happened and would. Where would they go next? When were they going to leave? What was she thinking doing this again? Not to mention a myriad of questions about Sawyer. These thoughts made her mind at ill ease preventing her from becoming comfortable in the bed, tossing and turning every few minutes.

"Geez woman! Do ya think you can keep down the noise?" Sawyer burst out from the other side of the room.

"Sorry. Can't sleep."

"I can't exactly sleep either with all that racket," he mumbled as he turned back into the bed.

Kate consciously tried not to move anymore. But the more she thought about not rolling over on her side or bringing her legs up to her chest, the more she felt she had to do both. Her ability to keep still was dwindling with every passing second. She needed some outlet to let her nervous energy escape. Slowly she started to tap her finger on the bed in what she hoped was a quiet manner and not hearing shouts from Sawyer concluded that it was.

Listening for a reaction from Sawyer, Kate started to listen to his breathing. It was quite clear in the silent room. It was shallow and irregular, not deep and even as it should be if he was truly asleep. She continued to hear the uneven breaths from Sawyer's direction for many more minutes.

"You can't sleep either, can you?" Kate said as she sat up in the bed.

"Nah, not really," Sawyer responded as he echoed Kate's movement. "Maybe we do need those candles after all."

* * *

Kate and Sawyer sat on the living room floor. Between the two of them lay a deck of cards. The candle on the coffee table was starting to burn low, threatening to go out in the pool of melted wax. It was nearly four o'clock in the morning and in a hour or so the sun would start to rise above the distant horizon. Neither showed any signs of weariness. On the contrary both were wide-awake with the energy that comes from fatigue. 

Kate absentmindedly shuffled the deck of cards. She had found them lying next to the candles in the attic. Her and Sawyer had already had had their fill of Go Fish along with many other card games. Now they sat in silence with both of them wondering about what lay ahead in the future.

Of course these thoughts were quite distressing to Kate. She wasn't the kind of person who liked to dwell on the past to look too far into the future. She usually couldn't afford to siphon her attention away from the present and the situations at hand. Desperately, she hoped that Sawyer would break the quiet vigil and break her away from her own ideas. Thankfully he did.

"So Freckles, did ya ever build card houses?" Sawyer asked with mischief in his eyes.

"Who didn't?"

"Well then, let's see ya make one."

Kate gave Sawyer a little smile before she took two cards from the deck and started to make her house. She held the two cards angled against each other on the floor with the long side parallel to the ground. Then she tentatively began to pull her hands away, testing the stability. Sawyer sat watching her.

"And what kind of card house would that be sweetheart?"

Kate turned her attention from the structure to Sawyer and said, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I've never seen a card house built like that before. And it looks like a pretty lame-ass one if you ask me."

"Sawyer, you asked me to build a card house and I'm building a card house the only way I know how to. So if you want it built differently then do it yourself," Kate said while crossing her arms in front of her chest, a hint of exasperation in her voice.

For a moment, Sawyer was still as he stared at Kate, calculating how much further he might be able to push her. And from the looks of it, he shouldn't test her limits any more.

"Alrighty then, hand the cards over."

Wordlessly, Kate passed the deck to Sawyer. He took two cards off the top and placed them next to each other, forming a triangle with the floor. He picked up another couple cards and again made a similar structure. Then he placed a card across the peaks of the two triangles.

"Now, that Freckles, is how you build a card house," he said as he continued to expand the house. "Trust me, this is the best way."

"And how exactly would you know that?" Kate asked.

"I've had practice. It's all I used to do on weekends when I lived with my grandparents. My grandpa would always watch football games while my grandma would make dinner. And neither interested me. Building card houses was the only way I kept myself from dying of boredom."

Kate hugged her knees to her chest as she watched Sawyer continue to build the house. He placed the cards confidently, his hands never once shaking. Concentration flooded his face. He finished putting the top tier in a three tier house on and proceeded to add on another layer and silence once again hung between them.

"So, where should we head when we leave?" Kate asked cautiously, not wanting Sawyer to mess up on her account.

"I don't know. Somewhere safe, if there is anyplace like that," Sawyer said incredulously. "Somewhere that you feel comfortable."

Sawyer said the last bringing his gaze back up to Kate. His eyes beamed with care. A care that pulled at Kate's heart.

"I was thinking we should head south. Maybe somewhere in Texas like Houston or Austin."

"Shouldn't we hang out in a border town near Mexico. It wouldn't be too far from the big cities."

"I don't think so. That's probably the first place they would look. If we stay in Houston or somewhere like that, we'd probably be able to hide in the crowd," Kate said as she reached for the pile of cards at Sawyer's side. She thought she would give his way of building a house a shot.

"I don't really care, Freckles. I'm no expert on runnin' from the FBI. I'm just along for the ride. And to keep you safe," Sawyer said seriously with an underlying concern in his voice.

At his last words, Kate looked up at Sawyer. She still was reaching the pile of cards, which brought her close to Sawyer. As she gazed into his eyes, she saw every emotion that he had tried to hide before, all the ones that he wasn't willing to admit to. Knowing that he would was there for her and only her terrified Kate but also thrilled her. For once in her life, she might be able to depend on someone else besides herself for protection and stability. And she was quite sure that Sawyer was able to see it too.

Before she knew what she was doing, she had pulled herself closer to Sawyer and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing their faces only inches apart. Slowly, she started to tenderly kiss Sawyer, pouring all the appreciation she felt into it. Sawyer was momentarily startled by her actions but soon began to kiss her back, letting his passion flow through his lips. Kate pressed her body closer to his, feeling the need just to be close to him. She hadn't realized until that moment how much Sawyer had always meant to her, ever since the first few days on the island. He understood her completely.

As things were becoming intense, Sawyer pulled back from Kate. He brought his hands up to cup her face and looked her in the eye, again with the same care that wrenched Kate's heart.

"I promise that you'll never have to do this alone again. I'll be here for as long as you need me to be."

Kate stayed still for a moment as she let the words sink in. Nobody had ever made a promise to her like that before, at least not for quite some time. The flood of appreciation that she felt before again rushed through her. The fire of the candle finally sputtered out as Sawyer pulled her into his embrace with the first rays of morning sun breaking through the darkness.

* * *

"Like hell I'm doing the laundry, sweetheart!" Sawyer said. 

"You can at least help. I'm sure you know the difference between colors and whites."

Sawyer mumbled something inaudible but began the task of sorting through the garments.

It was nearing late afternoon although Kate and Sawyer had awoken only a few hours ago. They sat in an empty laundry mat as they washed the clothes they had found the previous day. Kate was starting a second load and was trying to convince Sawyer that it was his turn to no avail.

Neither of them had mentioned anything about the night before. Somehow they had come to a silent agreement that there was no need to discuss it. Both of them knew what it had meant. Both knew that it was as step in their relationship that they couldn't undo. But Kate admitted that she wouldn't want to even if she could and she felt that Sawyer felt the same way.

Sawyer was sitting on bench across from the machines watching CNN on the corner tv. He was still amazed how much news coverage the survivors were getting. But it had only been three or four days since they all arrived back in Los Angeles. It sure felt that it had been a month to Sawyer.

"And coming up next, we will interview Jack Shepherd—one of the survivors of the crash of flight 815," the news anchor said.

_Well that oughta be good_ Sawyer thought. _I'm sure Jackass is enjoying all the attention._

Kate finished starting the second load of clothes and sat down beside Sawyer as the news returned from commercial. He saw her tense as Jack appeared on the screen. The interviewer asked all of the normal questions such as how they found food, did they all get along and how it felt to be rescued. None of it was very interesting until the very last question.

"What do you think of your two fellow survivors, Kate Austin and James Ford, who escaped from custody two days ago?"

"Well, in all honesty, I can't say that I'm that surprised. Kate was seemed willing to go to any lengths to keep her past hidden on the island. She even tried to make a fake ID from one of the passports she found in the wreckage. I'm also not shocked that Mr. Ford went along with her. I just hope that they will come to their senses and turn themselves in. There really isn't any need for the situation to continue."

"That's all the time we have for today. Thank you Mr. Shepherd for your time."

Sawyer turned his attention to Kate. He could see that Jack's words had hurt her. She was trying to disguise it, but it was too late. Sawyer had already seen the disappointment in her eyes. But she wasn't going to give up that easily as she turned to look at Sawyer.

"Your real name is James?" she asked, trying to sound disbelieving.

But before Sawyer could respond, the timer went off on the first washing machine and Kate stood up to put the load into the dryer. He watched as she transferred the clothes into the basket. How could Jack say that stuff about her on national television. If he liked nothing else about Jack, he always felt that he would protect Kate the same as he would. What he just did was worse than Sawyer's offense of outing Kate so he could be on the raft. Sawyer could also see that Kate didn't believe what Jack had just done either.

It seemed that she had pulled the last of the clothes out of the machine but she was still stood motionless with her hands on the edge as if she was bracing herself. He figured that she finally wasn't able to hold in the pain from Jack's comments any longer. He walked over to Kate, hoping that he could comfort her but not knowing exactly what he was going to say.

"Kate, it'll be okay. What does it matter anyway. It's not like—"

"I'm so sorry, Sawyer," Kate apologized, cutting off Sawyer's words.

He was about to ask what for when he saw what she was talking about. At the bottom of the washing machine he could see crumple, wet pieces of paper that used to be his letter.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Kate and Sawyer stood motionless for many seconds staring at the ruins of Sawyer's letter. She tried to speak again but she could find no words that would suffice to express her regret. Sawyer was next to her and she was able to feel his mood change without even glancing his way. She needed to get something out before the outburst she knew was coming.

"I'm so sorry, Sawyer," she said for a second time. The words sounded too inefficient for the situation. They were weak and barely carried a portion of the emotion she was feeling. And if they sounded that way to her, she could only imagined how Sawyer perceived them.

Expectantly, Kate waited for any kind of response. All she heard was the echo of the washer along with voices from the corner TV. Silence emitted from Sawyer. _The quiet before the storm_ she thought. But still he said nothing.

Kate finally brought herself to look at Sawyer. She started to apologize again but he met her gaze and shook his head with a penetrating glare. She caged the words that were about to tumble out and stared at him feeling quiet helpless. In a way he looked helpless too.

The mix of anger and fear that was displayed in his visage was undeniable. Seeing the letter destroyed took him back to _that _time. To that awful time, when he was confused and angry, left alone with nothing but his frightful thoughts to keep him company. It had been many years ago. Enough seasons had passed that the pain should have dulled but it hadn't. Time wasn't able to heal his wound because he wouldn't let it.

"I'm sure it isn't completely ruined," she said bending over the machine to retrieve the bits of paper. "If we just—"

She left her sentence unfinished when she heard Sawyer's footfalls recede toward the door. She knew he needed space but she followed him anyway. Unluckily, he already had a marginal distance on her. When she reached the door, he was unlocking the car. It was then she realized that he meant to leave her there.

"Sawyer! Don't—" she screamed after him. But it was of no use. He just flashed her that glare again as he turned the keys in the ignition. Soon Sawyer was gone in a puff of smoke from the squealing tires.

She couldn't believe it. How could he just leave her there, in the middle of nowhere? It wasn't exactly her fault that she had washed the letter. Since when was she his mom and have to check his pockets? And he was always so careful with it that at the time it never even crossed her mind. If had just snapped out of his stubborn, arrogant self for once and actually helped her with the laundry the letter would probably be safe right now.

Standing outside the glass door of the building, Kate stared at where Sawyer had disappeared desperately hoping that he would return. The day was bright with a crisp blue sky. The sun glistened high above leaving Kate's shadow short and squat as she bowed her head toward the ground. A chill October wind blew causing the hair on her bare arms to stand on end. The breeze mirrored the chill of fear and sorrow she now felt that Sawyer had left. She turned slowly and walked back inside resigned that the white Pontiac wouldn't reappear on the horizon.

Kate wrapped her arms around her knees as she sat down on the bench. She felt an uncontrollable panic rising in her. She actually believed with the events of the past few days that in the future a true relationship might form between them. An oddly enough, the idea didn't scare her anymore. On the contrary, she _wanted_ and _yearned_ for the closeness and understanding presence of Sawyer. But all hope of having him, of having someone to be there, to protect her, now lay in the torn remnants of the letter. Now she was alone again.

The fear climaxed as she let silent tears roll unheedingly down her cheeks. She always had a way of ruining any bit of happiness she encountered. And then she would run. But now there was no where to run to. He had left her with no way to leave.

A bubbling anger spread through her blood and left a bitter taste when it reached her mouth. He had fooled her. He didn't really care what happened. She had been an idiot to believe that he wanted to be with her for more than just one thing. Usually she was so careful and guarded around anybody, but she had given Sawyer the key to her soul and had betrayed her trust.

Thankfully she was distracted from her depressing thoughts but the rerunning of Jack's interview on the TV. Awhile ago she was devastated by his remarks but now she didn't have it in her to care. She continued to focus on the streaming news until she felt her senses and thoughts were calm once again.

Maybe she was overreacting. Somewhere in her heart she felt that he wouldn't just leave her. He could the most annoying jerk sometimes but he wasn't one to be cruel and malevolent. And all that he said the other night when they couldn't sleep felt too real to have been fake or part of his plan 'to get her.' He just needed to get away right now. He would be back. He had to come back didn't he? Kate again glanced out the glass front toward the road with worry in her face.

* * *

Sawyer drove unconsciously along the perfectly straight country road. Seeing the letter destroyed brought too many memories floating toward the surface of his mind. In a way, that one piece of paper represented a time in his life when he still was able to claim innocence, even after seeing both his parents die. He clung to the letter and read it every chance he got to remind him that there was a time when he wasn't what he was now; that at one time he was innocent. But with it gone, he would no longer be able to deny what he had become. He was Sawyer now and he wasn't sure that there was any redemption from that. 

The letter also represented his parents to him. It was one of the only things that he hadn't destroyed as a child that reminded him of them. Even though outwardly he acted like he hated them, and which to an extent he did, as every child does he had some reserve of love for them. And now it as destroyed too.

Sawyer let the anger and sense of loss course through his body. He didn't try pushing it down. He had done that too many times and was tired of playing it like he didn't care. A solitary tear ran down his cheek.

He was letting go of his parents, his innocence and his want for revenge. The letter had led him down the road to where he was now disgusted with whom he become. He wanted to start over. Hell, maybe what the Doc said was true: that they'd all had a chance to start over on the island. He only wondered if he could snatch his moment up now.

Thinking about second chances, he thoughts turned slowly to Kate. Nothing about the letter was her fault. Though he knew that his reaction hadn't led her to believe anything of the like. It was his own damn fault. He had been careless and distracted with Kate. But maybe he should take it as a sign that he could move on with her. That she didn't care about his past.

Signs? He was thinking about signs? He knew he had spent too much time around Locke and that pregnant chick in the island.

His thoughts went back to Kate. He had just left her there at the laundromat. He remembered her seeing her frightened and betrayed as he pulled away. He promised her that he would be there as long as she needed him. Look how long that promise lasted. His life was full of broken promises. What else could a con's life be?

The sun was starting to set on the horizon, painting the sky with brilliant reds and violets. He had left at noon and it was now nearing six o'clock. He wondered if Kate had sit waiting for him, if she was still waiting for him.

* * *

Kate wouldn't have stayed anyway once she realized that he had left. She was probably hitchhiking halfway to Mexico by now. That's what he told himself anyway. In truth, he hoped that she was still sitting at the laundromat, waiting for him. But he was sure that wasn't the case and there wasn't any reason for him to waste time turning back. He didn't mean anything to her anyway. 

Kate sat folding the dried clothes. This was the third she was doing so. Somehow she reasoned that it would make her look less suspicious if someone were to come in. The entire day only one other person came in. It was an older lady. And guessing by her laundry Kate assumed that she lived alone. She barely glanced Kate's way.

It was dark outside now. The sun set an hour ago and pinpoints of light started to dot the blackened sky. She had waited for over six hours for him to come back. She now doubted that he would. Fear started to rise in her again. She had to leave. She couldn't stay any longer. But somewhere in her heart she still had hope that he would return. She reasoned that she could stay a little bit longer.

Her attention drifted towards the news. By now she could practically recite every detail of all the stories that day. Right now they were talking about some bill that hadn't passed in the Senate. All of it was very boring to her. She was about to start folding clothes again when something caught her attention.

"We now have breaking news," the anchor said informatively. "One of the escapees from the Flight 815 survivors has reportedly been spotted this evening in Iowa…"

She didn't hear the rest. Her heart was racing. She had to get out of here now. She didn't have a choice. She hurriedly started to stuff the luggage full of her clean clothes. And without a thought, she put some of Sawyer's in there as well. The zipper on the duffel bag was sticking and she was pulling on it in frustration when bright headlights blinded her through the front windows.

* * *

He had to go back. He didn't want to give up on her. He didn't want to give up on the second chance he had been presented. It was nearing eleven o'clock now and he was getting closer to where he left her. 

He spotted the bright fluorescent of the place a couple hundred yards out. But he also saw the bright flashing lights of police cars. A sense of dread that he felt since turning around reached its pinnacle. If she had been caught, it was all his fault. He couldn't deal with that.

Sawyer slowed his speed as he approached the building. He knew he couldn't stop. That would be the end of him too. But he wanted to see her one last time. They were all standing out front; local police, state troopers, FBI. He tried peering into the backseats of the cars but he saw nothing.

He continued along the road thinking about what he saw. Something wasn't right. Why would they still be standing around if they had Kate? Were they still waiting for him? If they were they sure weren't very subtle about it. This led him to think that it wasn't the case. She must have left before they got there.

Frantically, he started to watch the side of the road. He doubted that she would take the chance by catching another ride. He found himself retracing the roads back to the abandoned house. It wasn't too far from the laundromat, only a couple of miles with a few turns along the way. He didn't know why he thought Kate would be back there except it was what he would do.

There was still no sign of her as he pulled onto the over-grown gravel driveway that led to the house. He was beginning to doubt his instincts about what she would do. He pulled the car into the barn and immediately ran into the house.

"Kate!" he yelled before he even halfway opened the front door. He was sure that he would only hear silence.

He stepped into the foyer and went to look in the kitchen first but found nothing. Walking through the hall, he didn't see any evidence of her either. His search of the living room didn't yield better results either.

He sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands. He was solely responsible for her arrest. It was a mistake to leave her there alone in the first place. If he had only turned back a few hours early, maybe she wouldn't have been caught. Why did he always let any happiness slip through his fingers?

Sawyer breathed the chill air deeply to let out a sigh. But sigh never escaped. He heard footsteps coming from the bedroom and his heart stopped. He watched as the handle turned and the door opened, framing Kate in the entrance. Relief flooded his body as he moved toward her. Without a second thought he took her tightly into his embrace.

"I thought I'd lost you," he whispered into her hair.

"Me too," she murmured back.

They didn't say anything else. There wasn't any need to. Anything about the letter wasn't important anymore. Apologies were said without any words. All of it was in the past and both were focusing on the future.

* * *

A/N: Aren't you guys lucky? I was totally going to leave you with yet another cliffhangar but I'm feeling generous today. Anyway, I think this story is going to go to about chapter twenty and hopefully I'll have it finished sometime in December. Again, thank you so much for the reviews. They're much appreciated! 


	13. Chapter 13

AN: I've been a very, very, very bad girl, haven't I? Sorry about the long wait again. Guess I was distracted by the very skatey last episode. But no excuses for the week and a half without a new chapter. I do have good news though. I have two new chapters!

* * *

** Chapter Thirteen**

"So you walked all the way back from the laundry mat?" Sawyer asked as he let Kate out of his embrace.

Kate looked up at Sawyer with tear-brimmed eyes and nodded slowly. Relief flooded her body now that Sawyer was back. It mystified her too how Sawyer had become such a vital part of her life in so few of days. Of course, he had become a part of her life on the island. But she never imagined that it would be a part that would pain her if she lost it. _Guess the old saying is true, _she thought to herself, _you don't know what you have until it's gone._

But one thing truly perplexed her about the feelings she had for Sawyer. She wasn't able to put a finger on what had caused them. He had always been so forward with his advances to the point of being crude at his best moments. She had thought herself impervious to such things, but maybe she wasn't…But that couldn't possibly be it. If it were she would have been attached to hundreds of guys by now. No, it was something that she couldn't explain, it was a connection, just as he had told her before. And it seemed that he was probably right.

Kate was still standing in the middle of the living room with her face toward the floor. She moved to sit on the couch. Even though it was almost midnight, she wasn't in any mood for sleeping. Sawyer followed her suit and plopped down beside her. Both sat staring unseeingly at the space in front of them, neither quite yet willing to break the comforting silence.

Sawyer wasn't sure what to think. He had been almost certain that he had lost Kate only a few minutes before. He was angry with himself for leaving her stranded in the first place with the precarious position they were both in. And it damn near got her caught too. Hell, it was his fault that they were here, on the run. It would have been even worse if the blame lay on him for her arrest.

But he also felt another unfounded sentiment, one of resentment. Resentment that she was so quick to accept his presence again after all that had happened. He should be grateful, he knew that. But he was expecting her to put up a fight when he returned, at least exchange a few fighting words. That didn't happen and he wasn't sure what to make of it. Whether it meant she cared or she didn't. He wasn't able to make heads or tales of it.

He was caught off guard when he felt Kate lean her head against his shoulder. He glanced her way. She seemed content with the silence, but Sawyer increasingly found it deafening.

"So, uh, back at the laundry mat," he started slowly, not sure if he really wanted the answer to his question. "You, uh, you really thought I was going to leave you there?"

Kate turned her green eyes up to Sawyer and then quickly looked back down without moving from her position. She drew in a deep breath before beginning to speak.

"I didn't know what to think, Sawyer. You just took off. With everything that happened and…" Kate left her sentence unfinished. She was unable to speak the last part of what she had been thinking. All the fear and hurt she had felt returned to her with recalling the events of the past day.

"Well, Freckles, I was looking for more of a 'yes or no' answer with that question. So how 'bout you give me one?" Sawyer said with a hint of hardness in his voice.

Kate lifted herself from Sawyer's shoulder as she let out a sigh. _He just doesn't know when to leave well enough alone, does he?_ she thought. He was staring at her intently. Looking into his eyes, Kate detected the vulnerability that lay within. The vulnerability that he was always trying to hide, the one that made him build walls around his heart, the one that caused him to loathe who he was. She hated that she was about to hurt him as she began to speak, but she knew she had to be honest for once.

"No, I didn't think you were coming back," she said regretfully. "I mean, I hoped you would. But…I felt that the reality was that you wouldn't." She watched as pain and betrayal appeared in his expression.

"So you thought I would just leave you there, in the middle of nowhere, with no way to leave? You must think that I'm a callous bastard, don't ya? You didn't even come back here to wait for me, did ya?" Sawyer said with anger rising in his voice.

"It's not that simple Sawyer," Kate said, allowing Sawyer's hostility seep into her also.

"How's it not that simple, _Kate_?"

"I waited there for almost five hours, Sawyer. It's not like I started walking the minute you pulled out!"

"You really think I'm goin' to buy that five hour bull? Maybe an hour at most. You were probably sure that I wasn't coming back with in the first five minutes, weren't ya?"

"How do you expect me to know what you would and wouldn't do? I barely know you, Sawyer! Learning your real name through a television set doesn't exactly say that I could anticipate if you were coming back or not! I'm not stupid. I wasn't going to risk being caught by staying there, on hopes that you would come back." Kate yelled with a trembling edge in her voice. She let the memory of the panic and anxiety that she experienced at the laundry mat pour into her passionate declaration.

"You aren't exactly a clear picture either, Kate," Sawyer retorted.

Both sat on the couch, looking at each other in silence, both hurt by the other's words. It could never be simple between them. The secrets that they kept affected their dynamic. In the past, they were able to pretend that they were presenting their real being to the other. But now, that fragile façade was broken with just a mere argument.

Kate remained quiet because she knew she couldn't deny what Sawyer had said. She hadn't been open with him like she should. He barely knew anything about her past, the way she became the person she was. But she hadn't let anyone in for so long. Pushing people away became her habit. The idea of breaking that habit was terrifying.

For one of the few times in his life, Sawyer was truly didn't know what to say. He knew things were going too smoothly after all that had happened. There was no way in hell he expected he would seemingly be forgiven that easily when he pulled her close to him earlier that evening. In addition, he didn't want to say anything else that would distress her further.

Sawyer was disappointed too. How could she say that she didn't know him? She knew about his past, about his childhood. They had shared enough time together before that she should know, at least have an inkling, of how he would act. Hell, he had even told her that he had killed a man! It just didn't make sense. He couldn't think about it any longer.

"I'm gonna go to bed," Sawyer said with indifference while pushing off the couch.

"What's that?"

Sawyer stopped walking and turned back around wearily.

"I said, I'm gonna go—"

"No, that noise. What is it?"

Again both were silent, but to listen. It was clear as day. They heard distinct voices coming from outside. Two or three it seemed like and apparently they had a dog with them.

"Good dog, keep going!"

"He really has the scent doesn't he? Seems like he finally might be trained."

"Yeah, after all the money the police department has spent on him, he better be."

After Kate and Sawyer heard the exchange, they turned to each other with fear constricting their faces. They were momentarily frozen with the intrusion of voices from outside, paralyzed with fright. Sawyer was the first to act. He grabbed Kate by the wrist and pulled her off the couch. Quickly he led her under the attic entrance.

"What did ya leave at the laundry mat?" Sawyer asked in a fervent whisper while he lifted Kate up through the ceiling.

"Nothing, just clean clothes that I've never worn!" she said in hushed tones as she reached down to help pull Sawyer up.

"Well, they got your scent somehow. It just didn't drift to them from nowhere."

Kate gave him a stern look and put her finger to her lips signaling that he needed to be quiet. They moved the cover back over the opening of the attic just as an insistent knock came at the front door.

"Frank, it's an abandoned house. Do you really think you need to knock?"

"Guess you're right Paul. Just not use to forgetting my manners."

"You're still too soft to be a police officer, rookie."

Kate and Sawyer heard the door slowly creak open on its squeaky hinges. Sawyer pulled Kate closer to him as they held their breaths. It would be a miracle if they escaped this one without being captured.

"If they're here, they can't be too smart. Didn't even lock the front door," Paul stated.

Frank didn't answer. He was too busy trying to keep the dog under control.

"Whoa boy! Heel! Calm down!" echoed his repeated commands. They didn't seem to be helping. The sound of thudding boots and padding dog feet became closer and closer until they were in the room below the two criminals.

* * *

Hehe…another cliffhanger! But it's not so bad. Because the conclusion is in the next chapter! ;) 


	14. Chapter 14

A/N warning: If you have not seen the episode "What Kate Did" of season two, and don't want to be spoiled, don't read this chapter! Or just skip down past the second line like the one below. ;)

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

A frenzy of barking and hissing erupted beneath Kate and Sawyer in the living room. They could hear the scratching of the dog's claws against the wooden floor as it struggled against its leash. The cat began to growl as the dog seemingly was inching closer. With another explosion of sound as the officer hit the floor and the dog escaped his grasp and went after the cat.

"Damn dog's chased a cat again! Worthless mutt!" echoed Frank's voice.

At this point Kate and Sawyer heard the dog whimper. Whether it was from the cat or one of the officers was indiscernible. But Kate automatically flinched and started forward. She didn't get too far with Sawyer's firm grasp on her shoulders.

"What do ya think you're going to do? Turn yourself and me in so the poor dog gets justice?" Sawyer whispered into her ear.

Kate was forced to realize the stupidity of the instinctual action she was about to take and was glad Sawyer was there to stop her with his words. She turned her face towards his and shook her head. She wasn't even sure that Sawyer could see her answer in the pitch-blackness of the attic but she was still too frightened to risk an audible reply.

"Come on, Paul. They're not here. They probably are two or three states away by now. Don't know why they insist on making us look after a sighting hits the news. Just a waste of our time…Useless dog led us on another wild goose chase," Frank finished with another cry echoing from the dog.

Again Kate winced at the sound. The officer's footfalls echoed away out of the house. They both relaxed at the front door slamming shut. Sawyer let go of Kate and leaned back on the box behind him. Kate, too, moved to a more comfortable position.

"So, how many close calls do you think we'll have Freckles?" Sawyer asked. All of the bitterness of before was apparently removed from his demeanor.

Kate couldn't help but smile.

"I don't know. I guess it depends on how many times we let our emotions take over our logic." Kate was gladdened to see that her answer elicited a returning smile from Sawyer. Though in truthfulness, she felt that he smiled more than she saw. Tranquility again encompassed the house, as they both knew the recent threat had disappeared.

But some things still lingered upon Kate's consciousness. It seemed that Sawyer was content to let their argument go, to forget about it completely. Kate wasn't that ready. It had brought up too many truths in their relationship that couldn't easily be unanswered.

"About what I said early. About not knowing you Sawyer. It's not true. You've haven't been anything but truthful with me about who you are. And I haven't told anything about my past. It's just…I didn't want to risk seeing you disgusted or detest me. I didn't want things to change. And I'm sorry for that," Kate finished with silent tears threatening to flow down her cheeks. She sensed that Sawyer's mood had changed and was no longer in the state of mind to crack jokes.

"Kate, you don't have to apologize. You can tell me everything when you're ready. I don't have to know right now. I'm satisfied just to be with you," Sawyer said tenderly.

"No, but I _want _to tell you, Sawyer. I want to tell you why I'm so uncomfortable in this house, why I'm a fugitive. I need to explain everything to you," Kate said resolutely.

Silence emitted from Sawyer's end and Kate took it as a cue to forge on.

"When I was little, maybe four or five, my mom left my dad and married this guy Wayne. Everything was fine at first. He would take us out to movies on weekends, have dinner on the table when my mother got off the late shift at work. Everything seemed perfect.

"But then something happened. I'm not sure what. He began drinking all the time. I remember he used to take me to school drunk. He started to beat my mom if she said the littlest thing that upset him. I started to live in constant fear…He wouldn't let me see my dad anymore," Kate paused as the 'almost' tears were no longer almost. Sawyer reached out to her through the darkness and took her hand in his.

"Anyway, I moved out as soon as I was old enough. Got my own apartment, made my own curtains." Kate couldn't help but smile through the tears.

"I was able to see my dad again regularly. One year I was going to make him a scrapbook for his birthday. I asked him for pictures from when he was in the service. The pictures he gave me…they had dates on the back…he was in Korea just four months before I was born. Wayne…he was….I was so angry."

Sawyer moved closer to Kate, putting his arm around her small shoulders and pulling her to his chest as the tears continued to stream down her face.

"My mother called me one day. Said that things had got out of control between her and…him. He was getting more violent. She thought he would kill her. I offered to let her stay with me and she agreed. But when I went to her the next day, she denied everything she had said.

"I couldn't stand it any longer. I hated that something so foul and loathsome could be a part of me. It made me feel unclean. That somehow he had stolen my innocence by being my father…I hated that my mom said she loved with all that he did.

"My mother was working the graveyard shift at the diner one night and I knew he would come home drunk…. I went over to the house. I disconnected the gas line from the stove in the kitchen…I took him inside the house when he drove up…He could barely walk. I put him in bed…Then I threw a match back into the house as I left…I couldn't let him live. _I_ couldn't live with him breathing…"

"So, I planned to leave town, to—"

"Shh, that's enough for tonight Kate," Sawyer said softly. "Let's get to bed. We'll pack tomorrow and leave in the evening. We won't stay here one more minute than we need too."

Sawyer felt an overwhelming sympathy for Kate. Her life was just as screwed up as his had been. He knew that she had only told him part of the story, though. There wasn't anyway that what she told him could drive her to do what she did. He was sure that she hadn't escaped Wayne's violence unscathed.

And when he thought about what might have happened to her, what he might of done, an anger rose in him that was even more fiery than his desire for his own revenge. He wanted nothing more than to hold her all night and soothe her horrible memories. He never wanted to let her go either. She was even more fragile than she had been in his eyes now. He craved to protect her from anymore pain.

Kate lay still against Sawyer's chest. Many moments had passed since he suggested that they get to bed. But she was unwilling to move. Something about being there with him, in the darkness was so restful. She felt more peace within her soul at that moment, than she had for many years.

Having someone who had become so close know some of her past relieved her immensely. The burden her crimes left upon her heart had been lifted. Sawyer now helped her carry the load also. She didn't feel that she was alone in the world either anymore. He knew her the center of her being now.

The comfort was broken when Sawyer stood up and walked over to the entrance and disappeared through the floor into the next room. Kate followed him. She looked through the hole to see him waiting for her. She carefully lifted herself down and felt Sawyer grab her around her waist. She was expecting that he would set her on the floor but he continued to hold her as he walked towards the bedroom.

* * *

The next day dawned with a clear, pale blue sky that slowly faded into a light violet as the sun began to set. Sawyer carried their bags to the car as Kate stood nearby holding the cat, scratching his ears.

"I wish we could take him with us," she said to Sawyer. Then to the cat, "You saved our butts, you know."

The cat looked like it was in a blissful heaven. It probably hadn't had that much attention since it was born and it certainly hadn't eaten that well either. He would miss them. But Kate had insisted on leaving the rest of the tuna that they had bought alone a large bowl of water.

"Yeah, me too. Kinda got attached to the thing. But how do you expect us to take care of a cat when we can barely take care of ourselves?"

"You're right," Kate said warily, her expression becoming clouded for a moment.

She put the cat down and walked toward the car. Kate opened the car door and sorted through her bag before producing a license plate and a screwdriver.

"Now, where in the hell did you get that, Freckles?" Sawyer said as he saw what Kate was doing.

"Like I said, there was everything up in that attic. I was able to pick some stuff that's going to be pretty useful."

"And what would that be?"

"You'll just have to wait and see," Kate said with a mischievous smile as she walked back around the vehicle opening the passenger door. "Come on. Let's get going."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Sawyer drove along the straight, four-lane highway surrounded on both sides by thick forest. It was a warm summer night, the kind of night that envelops you and breathes energy back into weary limbs. Crickets chirped softly in a cacophony of sound. The noise floated through the open back windows of the car.

This was the second night that Kate and Sawyer had drove through the darkness after leaving the house behind them. When the sun crept over the horizon yesterday, they had just crossed the Illinois and Indiana border. They found an inconspicuous place to pull over on the side of the road to try to rest for the day. Sawyer had given Kate the back seat, while he tried to recline in the driver's seat. But positions didn't really make any difference, as both were still too uncomfortable to get much rest.

A few hours ago the Kentucky border had passed beneath their tires. Sawyer thought of how much distance was now between them and the house. He was relieved to get Kate away from the place. She had tried to act that staying there, breathing the memories of her past, hadn't bothered her. But there were times when Sawyer saw through her façade, moments when she thought he wasn't looking. She would stare without seeing at the little details of the house and pain would fill her eyes.

Sawyer knew that Kate was strong. She had to be with the past she lived. But he also knew that just because a person is strong doesn't mean that they can't have their weaknesses as well. Hers was her dark history. When any thought of it floated back into her consciousness, her being appeared so fragile and vulnerable. During those times Sawyer wanted nothing more than to comfort her. Her strength along with the times she was exposed provided her character with such depth. Sawyer gravitated toward her because of this, because he could relate to so much that she had experienced.

Sawyer also felt regret at leaving the place behind. It was their home for those few short days. And in that brief span, there were so many times that Sawyer knew he would never forget even if he lived for the rest of eternity. He and Kate were closer now. Closer in a way that he had never been with a woman before. The newness of it would leave a lasting imprint on his mind.

He looked over at Kate sitting in the passenger seat. She was resting her head on the door while gazing forward at the oncoming road with beautiful bright green eyes. She had brought her legs up into the seat as well, her knees angled toward the outside. Her dark hair was caught in the current of the moving air blowing it every which way. She seemed not to notice it. Or she had given up trying to control it. There wasn't anyway to pull her short hair back now.

"So, Freckles. You regret cutting your hair now?" he asked with a sly grin.

She smiled, laughing inwardly at how Sawyer tried to assert his opinions through the questions he asked. Even though he tried to hide them with smart remarks and sarcasm, his attempts failed miserably in subtlety.

"No, Sawyer. I'm not. I know that it had to be done to increase my chance of not being noticed. I'm willing to sacrifice my vanity for something that's more important quite unlike someone else I know," she said, knowing that she was instigating a fight but she didn't care.

"Hey, don't say that! I let you cut my hair, didn't I?" he said in mock offence.

"Not without a fight you didn't," Kate stated.

"That wasn't protest. I was just tryin' to give you a hard time," he said, knowing full and well that it was the lie of the century. He still missed his long locks every second. He tried covering with, "If you want to see me fight, you should try to crawl into my bed at night."

At this point Kate could do nothing more than laugh in disbelief at what Sawyer said. Did he actually think she would buy that bs?

"You mean if I want to see you wave a white flag, I should crawl into your bed."

"Sweetheart, somehow I think you have the impression that I would just sleep with you on the first chance I got. Now how did that happen?"

"Well Sawyer you've made enough suggestive comments," she said.

She knew that he was saying such backward things just to entertain her, to make her smile. It was something that he often did that she found so endearing about his character. He had done it so many times that Kate had come to identify it as something that was uniquely him.

The rush of the air moving through the windows and the lonely music of the crickets invaded the car for many moments as Sawyer tried to think of a witty comeback but found himself at a loss for what to say. Instead he just changed the subject slightly.

"Why didn't you let me cut your hair?"

"Do you remember what you did to your own when you tried to cut yourself on the island? You totally butchered it."

After waiting a sufficient time for his comeback, she asked the question that had was bothering her all day.

"So where are we going?"

They hadn't discussed it at all. Kate didn't much care at the time. She was too tired to worry.

"Thought we would head down to a house in Louisiana. I have some cash stowed away there that would probably be useful. Then we can head back toward Texas, skip the border if we need to."

All of it sounded fine to Kate. It was similar to what they had discussed a few days before, except for the detour for the money. But one other thing about their travels irked her.

"Shouldn't we be taking back ways? Staying off of the main roads? That's what I did. It worked pretty well."

"I'm glad it worked for you, but it makes more sense this way. The back roads aren't traveled much and a person is much more likely to take notice of us. On the highway, there's more people but most of them are so distracted with their own hectic lives that they'll just see us as another car in their busy days. Besides, the highway's faster."

Of course it made sense but Kate would still have been more comfortable if less people were around. She was willing to take the chance that the one person they meet on a deserted road would recognize them more than risking the busy lanes. But what he said about the time issues stopped her from fighting.

A quiet fell between the two. Unconsciously, Kate's thoughts drifted back over the past few days. She was revived to be gone of the house that evoked such horrible memories of her life. Staying there was uncomfortable. The essence of the house had haunted her waking moments. Something in the air pervaded her body. Every detail of the house seemed to get some sort of sadistic pleasure out of mocking her past. She knew it was crazy but the house did make her soul crawl back into its hiding place.

But in a way, some of those memories had been replaced with the minutes she spent with Sawyer. While everything else around her reminded her of her sins, Sawyer stood as a safe haven within the terrible world. He understood. He knew. She could sit beside him for hours with nothing but silence. She was inexplicably comforted by his presence. Kate couldn't help but feel safe with Sawyer by her side.

It had been just a week and a few days sense they had been rescued. To her, the experience on the island seemed to have occurred in another lifetime. She couldn't remember what a guava tasted like or the unique flavor of the water. It was still there of course, the memories were. But they had already began their procession toward the back recesses of her mind.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the blaring music that suddenly fell within the car. It was so loud that Kate could feel the bass beat within her body.

"Son of a bitch!" Sawyer exclaimed as he tried to fiddle with the radio knobs before quickly turning it off again.

"Just needed something to keep me company," he said in soft undertones.

Kate watched as he squinted, trying to figure out which controls were which. If the highway hadn't been so straight, she would have disapproved of his actions. She couldn't help but be amused at the comical expression on his face as he tried to change his focus from the dark radio back to the lit road.

"Do you need help? Want me to grab your glasses?"

She didn't give him a chance to answer as she leaned forward in her seat to switch the radio back on and turn down the volume. She changed the station from the loud rock music to a late night news program. Sawyer let out a sigh of irritation.

"I would've got it eventually. And what's this crap you want to listen to?"

"It's called the news Sawyer. You know, it's the place where they tell you what's happening in the world? I thought we should check to see if anyone's reported us since we left."

"Of course I know what the news is! Besides we shouldn't know if they have any clue where we are. That's the first thing about running. You never look back to see where your chaser is. Because as soon as you do, you'll trip over a big rock."

"Sawyer, we're not looking back. We're just listening," Kate stated, pretending that she didn't understand Sawyer's analogy.

"Kate, you know that's not what I meant," Sawyer said, his voice tinged with frustration.

"I know. But I've always listened to the news when I travel, especially at night."

That wasn't the only thing. What she had heard Jack say back at the laundry mat still haunted her thoughts. It shouldn't. She didn't know why she cared anymore. There wasn't anything she could do about it. But he had betrayed their friendship in an unforgivable way. She was hoping to here him again, to make sure her ears didn't betray her the first time.

But she hated that she was thinking about Jack at the same time. Why did he deserve to be on her mind? She knew that she hadn't heard wrong. She wanted to forget about him. She needed to devote her attention toward Sawyer. The ironic thing was that she knew she was allowing Jack to infiltrate her thoughts as a distraction. Things were happening too quickly between her and Sawyer. Even though they had spent time in the island and developed workings of a relationship there, she was still scared of being with him.

Sawyer watched anxiously as the needle of the gas gauge began to fluctuate erratically. The fluorescent orange line jumped between the bright turquoise marks that indicated less than a quarter and above half. He could feel the gas pedal go soft as the fuel pressure began to drop. He knew he should have stopped many miles before now. He hoped that they would run out before they had time to refuel.

Luckily, the next exit ramp wasn't too far away and a gas station was only a few hundred yards farther. The motor cut out just as the reached the bottom of the ramp. Sawyer skillfully coasted the car to the station.

"Hey, you need anything?" Sawyer said poking his head back into the car before going in to pay.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks."

Kate wasn't quite adjusted to the brilliant white lights of the gas station. She couldn't believe that Sawyer had run the car out of gas. It made her fearful about his judgement.

How could she trust him with their safety when he couldn't even notice when the car was on empty? She quickly pushed the thought to the back of her head crediting her sleep-deprived mind with the nonsense as Sawyer reemerged from the building.

Sliding back into the driver seat he said, "Freckles, I think we're going to have a money issue. We're not going to have enough to get us to Louisiana."


	16. Chapter 16

AN: Not much too this chapter but I'm oddly pleased with it. It's basically just a prologue/prelude to the next chapter. I can't believe that I only have four more chapters to write of this fic. I've actually been thinking about that and I might actually have five more. Who knows? Or maybe just really long chapters...goes off to think about continuing plot

* * *

**Chapter 16**

"Do you want fries with that?" the woman's voice crackled over the order intercom.

Sawyer turned his head around and glanced over his shoulder at Kate. She shook her head no, loosening the soft brown tendrils of hair from her bun, letting them cascade gently around her face. The curls were in stark contrast with her wan features and dark circles lying under her eyes caused by the restless sleep of the previous two nights. _But damn_, he thought, _she's still beautiful._

"Sir, do you want fries with that?" she said louder this time, thinking he didn't hear the first time she asked, but only succeeded in increasing the static rendering her question indiscernible but it was enough to gain Sawyer's attention.

"Uh, yeah…We'll take fries," Sawyer replied, opposite of what Kate had told him. "Ow! Freckles, what was that for?"

Kate had given Sawyer a smack on the leg for his direct behavior against what she had said.

"Sawyer, we don't have the money! It's not like I'm going to starve," Kate exclaimed in scolding hushed tones.

"Well, I beg to differ sweetheart. You really think you ain't going to be hungry in an hour with that rabbit food you ordered?"

"I'll be fine. Besides, a salad is more nutritional than the heart attack you ordered."

"I might have a heart attack, but at least I'll be full," Sawyer said, grinning ear to ear with his dimples deeply creased.

* * *

The sun was had barely begun the paint the dark violet night in shades of red and yellow when Kate and Sawyer pulled away from the gas station. Both sat silently in the car, an ominous dread and fear hanging over them. They hadn't said a word since Sawyer's frightening declaration.

Kate's mind raced with what to do. Money wasn't just something you found laying abandoned in an old attic or tossed carelessly aside in the middle of the road. There wasn't any way to get in touch with anyone else for help either. It would be too risky. And heaven knows they had already been too careless.

The only solution Kate could come to was one that she wasn't looking for. Even though her rap sheet was as long as the Mississippi, it still weighed on her shoulders when she choose to add to it. The only way out of this she could see was to steal the money.

Sawyer had known they were running low on cash ever since he had turned some bills into quarters when they went to do laundry. He had hoped that they might be able to get by but he was certain that it was just wishful thinking. He choose to keep it from Kate. She already had enough to deal with.

"So, have any ideas what to do?" Sawyer asked, not breaking but adding to the heaviness of the atmosphere.

Kate breathed deeply and let out a sigh before she turned to Sawyer. She looked up at him with remorse etched in her features.

"Sawyer, I think you know what we have to do. What else is there?" Kate expressed sorrowfully.

"Yeah," Sawyer said in a hushed whisper. "I couldn't think of anything else either. I just don't want to do it."

"It's weird, huh?" Kate said. "With all that we've done, we can still have a conscience crisis over stealing a little cash."

Sawyer chuckled softly at Kate's remark. It was pretty damn ironic that they could fret over a little crime like this with their criminal pasts. People, who would have a preconceived notion about the way they were, would wonder about their hesitation. But neither of them were hardcore criminals. They were just people who had been forced into difficult situations when they were young and their choices had continued the journey down the dark spiral staircase of their lives.

Over the many years that Wayne lived under the same roof as she, Kate had allowed herself to build an immense hatred that consumed her every thought, burning away her sense and logic while searing her sight. She had planned the entire thing. Thought and dreamed about beforehand. But afterwards she promised herself that she wouldn't let the one horrible decision she made in her life define who she was. So she struggled everyday to live her life as honestly as possible even though most of the time it was a losing battle.

Sawyer, on the other hand, choose the way he lived. But his choice stemmed from the self-loathing and anger that raged within him. His parents' deaths stained his soul with the idea that no one cared about him or ever would. And if nobody cared what happened to him, why should he bother to try to live an honest life when there was nobody to disappoint? That's the way he was before. Sawyer's experiences of the past few months had changed him. He now had someone to disappoint.

"So, uh, do you have any ideas about how exactly we're gonna go about this?" Sawyer said after a pause.

"I have some ideas," Kate responded, a smile creeping through her features.

* * *

Sawyer had parked the car in the lot of a large airport so he and Kate could eat before the night began. The airport was seemingly in the middle of nowhere but Sawyer guessed that it had been a product of one of those regional economic programs. It was positioned right off the highway and was practically the only thing at this exit except for a few cheap hotels and gas stations. He hoped that, despite its location, it would still accommodate his and Kate's needs. 

The windows were rolled down and a cool summer night's breeze flowed through the openings, caressing their exposed skin. Kate sat cross-legged in the passenger seat angled toward Sawyer. Her salad was fixed on her lap but she wasn't paying any attention to it. Instead she was watching Sawyer eat, finding it quite amusing.

"You're making a mess of yourself, Sawyer," Kate scolded.

A long stream of ketchup and mustard mixed with tomato juices from his hamburger was rolling down his face and threatening to drip onto his clean white shirt. Sawyer smiled, making the mess on his face even more comical. Kate couldn't help but let out a small laugh herself.

Kate leaned forward bringing herself closer to Sawyer. She reached out and cupped his face in her left hand moving to wipe the mixture off with her thumb. Once that was accomplished, she pulled back to resume the position she was in before. But Sawyer stopped her progress. He grabbed her wrist, encompassing her small arm in his securing hand.

"Now wait just one second, sweetheart," Sawyer's voice rang out in husky tones. "That's mine and I'm not gonna let you take it."

Kate was momentarily puzzled by his remarks but before she could dispose of a question she had her answer.

Sawyer slowly drew her hand back. The blend of liquids from his hamburger still wet on her fingers. The very tips were just brushing his lips. Sawyer raised his head and looked directly at Kate, an overwhelming need and desire twinkling in his eyes. Then he gradually began to kiss her fingers, letting his lips linger near her skin longer than need be.

What was he doing? Frantic thoughts raced through Kate's mind. Her skin tingled as Sawyer's lips crept toward the tops of her fingers. Goosebumps raced up her arms as she felt the warmth of his mouth flow through her skin.

Her reason told her pull away, to fight what Sawyer was doing. She just wasn't ready for it. He had caught her off guard. Kate found this simple act exciting and thrilling. But it puzzled her how it could. _It's Sawyer, that's how_ she thought to herself.

"Mmm… That's better, now ain't it?" Sawyer drawled as he lifted his eyes to meet hers again.

As Sawyer did so, he found something he hadn't expected to see. He had expected to see disgust and admonishment in her eyes. However he didn't. Instead he saw a need to match his own reflecting in Kate's face. The tension had always been there, he knew, to some extent on both of their parts.

Sawyer let his portion out through raw remarks and charming smiles without thought. Kate, on the other hand, didn't let her emotions show so easily. She was the kind of person to bury feelings even further down into the recesses of her heart when they threatened to well up. It was a survival instinct that had been bred into her from her years of running from the law.

Kate let her hand linger on top of Sawyer's even though he had let hers go. She found herself staring at the stark contrast between their two hands. Sawyer's was large and encompassing compared her fragile fingers and dainty palm. In a way, the difference summed up how Kate felt around Sawyer. She was beginning of him as someone who could protect her from anything and would no matter what consequences might lay in wait for him afterwards. The only time that she could let her guard down easily was when she was around him. Kate felt comfortable surrendering her well being to his care.

Before Kate even thought about what she was doing, she pulled Sawyer's hand close to her surrounding it with both hands. She took her thumbs and slowly kneaded the flesh of his palm savoring the ruggedness of it. Kate brought his hand up to her mouth and began to kiss the mountains and valleys of skin of his hand in the exact way he did hers moments before. The salty taste enticed her. She wasn't sure that she would be able to stop herself from going further.

The surprise of finding desire in Kate's eyes was reduced to nothing at this new turn. He never pictured that anything like this would ever happen between Kate and him. Sawyer inwardly smirked when he thought of how everyone else from the island would react if they ever knew. But no matter how much disbelief he held before about the potential of what was happening, nothing seemed more natural in the world than to have Kate by his side.

Kate had switched back to massaging his palm. For Sawyer it was infuriating. He couldn't hold out any longer. His need to hold her, to kiss her, to run his hands down the smooth curves of her body was insatiable at the moment. Sawyer tore his hand out of her grip moving it to around her waist bringing his other hand along with it on the opposite side.

Sawyer marveled at how she wasn't resistive when he lifted her over to the driver's seat placing her on his lap or not caring about the abandoned salad that now lay strewn in the car floor. But Sawyer barely had time to notice such things before he felt her mouth over his in a passionate kiss.

Again, he was amazed at this new, very forward Kate. So much so to the point that he took him a few second to start kissing back. Kate had placed her hands on his shoulders and was now moving them across Sawyer's back, loving the fact that she could still feel his muscles through the thick polo shirt. Sawyer still had his hands on her small hips but was slowly working his fingertips under the bottom edge of her shirt.

With an abrupt suddenness, Sawyer broke the kiss and leaned back to meet Kate's eyes squarely. They were both breathing heavily from the excitement of the kissing and lack of air over the past minute.

"Baby, you know I would love nothing more than to continue this right here, right now," Sawyer stated with a tinge of regret. "But we have some work we have to do."

Sawyer shifted his glance over Kate's shoulder through the windshield of the car where the terminals to the airport were. Kate also turned and looked behind her. She had a mind to yell at Sawyer for bringing her back to the dreaded reality they were in. Kate didn't want to think of all that could go wrong. She didn't want to think of the consequences of what they were about to do that might come back to haunt their travels later. Kate couldn't also help but wonder how they were exactly going to pull it off.


End file.
